What Now?
by theSunlitEarth
Summary: He loved Finn very much, but he never thought that it would be this difficult. She had helped him before, but duty called and he hadn’t seen her for at least three years now. Finn hadn’t seen her since he was one and a half and no doubt he didn’t remember
1. Finn

Artemis got up from the floor where he had been kneeling. Paint dripped from his finger tips and was spattered all over his designer pants but, miraculously, he didn't care. He had other things to think about aside from some water-soluble paint.

A small hand covered in yellow paint reached up and grabbed the sleeve of his light blue dress shirt.

"Daddy look," stated a little boy with dark auburn hair and striking blue eyes. He held up his extremely soggy piece of paper that was covered in an exorbitant amount of paint. The picture was lost to Artemis in a mess of color. But it was his son, and his couldn't do anything but say that it was amazing.

"Very nice Finn. Once it dries, we shall hang it on the fridge so that Grandma and Grandpa can see it."

"And Butler and Juliet?" inquired Finn.

"Butler and Juliet too," confirmed Artemis as he took the painting from his six year old son. He placed it on top of a high counter so Finn couldn't reach it.

"Now make sure that you go wash up Finn!" he called as the little boy very nearly placed his paint-covered hand on a very expensive sofa.

Finn nodded and ran off to the bathroom.

Artemis sighed as he wiped his hands on his pants. They were going to have to be severely dry-cleaned anyway. He examined the splotch of yellow paint on his sleeve and smiled a little to himself. But it was a sad smile. He loved Finn very much, but he never thought that it would be this difficult. She had helped him in the beginning, but duty called and he hadn't seen her for at least three years now. Finn hadn't seen her since he was one and a half and no doubt he didn't remember her.

Artemis closed his eyes tightly and sat carefully on the couch so as not to ruin the expensive material with children's finger paint. What he had been painting still lay on the floor. He hoped Finn didn't come running in here and slipping on it.

Artemis held back the tears threatening to spill over. He was _not_ going to cry. He was twenty six. He would not stoop so low. Artemis Senior had always taught him that to show emotion was to show weakness. Myles and Beckett had not had such training. The twins were fourteen now. Both had girlfriends, along with other friends that were human. They played video games, went out at night, things that normal teenagers did. Myles was still quite a bit smarter than Beckett, but it didn't matter. They were normal and their parents treated them normally. Artemis had never had such luxuries.

Especially since they didn't have a child. Or a child and not a wife. When Artemis had brought Finn home, his parents had been angry. They'd wanted to know who the mother was, and Angeline had guessed it. She'd given him a strict lecture, even though he was twenty and legally adult. His father had been mad that Artemis hadn't told him who it was. But how could he? He would have given everything away.

Eventually Angeline and Artemis Senior had warmed up to Finn, but the cold edge was always there when they spoke to Artemis. At least they didn't kick him out. They loved Finn too much.

Artemis heard little footsteps in the hallway and got up quickly so as to move his painting to ensure that Finn didn't slip on it. The six year old barreled into the room, completely paint free. Artemis had made sure that he knew how to wash himself and change his clothing by the time he was three.

Finn ran over to Artemis and grabbed his pant leg. "Daddy, you're still covered in paint!" he exclaimed.

"Yes Finn, I am. I suppose that I should go wash up too, shouldn't I?"

Finn nodded seriously. "Can you come back and tell me a story though?"

Artemis nodded and patted his head. "I will, I promise. Stay in this room though and keep out of the paint," Artemis said and he detached his pants from Finn's grasp and went upstairs quickly to change.

Once he had put on a clean shirt and pair of pants and washed the paint off his hands and out of his hair (who knows how it got there), Artemis went back downstairs.

He found Finn sitting on the couch, crying, a little bit of blood dripping down his index finger.

Artemis sighed and went over to Finn. "What happened?"

Finn held up his bleeding finger. "I poked it on that sharp thing over there," he said, pointing his good finger at the desk in the room.

Artemis sighed. The letter opener. He'd forgotten that Finn didn't know it was sharp.

He kneeled in front of the crying boy and wiped a few tears off his cheeks. "It's alright Finn, we'll get you a band-aid and-" Artemis didn't finish his sentence. He sat with his mouth open slightly as a few blue sparks traced over Finn's finger, dissolving the wound effortlessly.

**Please Read and Review. I have more, but people have to like it first :)**

**Peace out ~theSunlitEarth**


	2. Painful Memories

**So, I kinda posted more, even though I only have one review...I couldn't help it, ok? Please Review!!!!**

Finn stared at his finger as well, then looked up at Artemis. "Daddy, what happened? Where did it go?" he asked, inspecting his finger but finding nothing but a little blood.

Artemis shook his head. "It's not possible," he muttered to himself. "They said he was fine, no magic, no pointed ears…"

He turned to Finn and quickly pushed the hair away from his ears. He couldn't believe his eyes. The boy's ears were tapering into little points. Since when? Artemis had never seen anything to lead him to believe that his son was part elf.

Finn twisted his head out of Artemis's stunned grasp and looked up at him. "Daddy, am I going to die?" His expression was so heart-wrenching that it snapped Artemis out of his stupor.

He shook his head vigorously. "No, no. Quite the opposite actually. You are completely healthy Finn."

"Then why do you look so funny?" Finn asked, scrunching up his nose in an adorable scowl. "You look like you just eated dirt."

Artemis laughed, trying to wipe the shock off his face. He must be composed for Finn's sake. "First of all Finn, it's 'ate'. Not eated. And don't worry about it right now, ok? How about I tell you a story?"

Finn brightened, forgetting his troubles. "Can you tell me the one about the fairies?"

Artemis sighed. He should have known that Finn would want to hear the story about the fairies. He'd told Finn about all of his adventures with Holly and Mulch and Root and Foaly, but he'd changed the names and made it sound like he'd read it out of a book. Finn had always liked those stories best, and now Artemis knew why.

But he nodded and sat on the sofa. Finn climbed onto his lap and watched Artemis with wide eyes and he began to recount the artic incident.

By the time Artemis finished the story, Finn was asleep. It was growing dark outside and Artemis could hear the summer-time crickets though the open window.

He carried Finn up to his room and tucked him into bed. He glanced once more at his son's slightly pointed ears, wondering briefly what he would do when other kids at school began to notice. Even though Artemis loved Finn immensely - more than he ever thought possible - it would have been easier for him and Finn if she had just kept him. But she couldn't. She'd tried to explain, but Artemis hadn't wanted to hear. He couldn't hear another empty excuse from her as to why she had to stay away from him. If she really cared, she would have found a way around it.

Artemis took one last look at a sleeping Finn, then went briskly down to the kitchen. It was empty; Butler and Juliet were on a short holiday and Artemis had to agree that they deserved it. However, Butler and Juliet were the only ones that didn't hold anything against him that had to do with Finn. He missed them.

_No emotion_, he reminded himself. He descended the stairs into the cellar, searching the wine racks for a bottle of scotch. He normally didn't drink, but today, he found no alternative.

He brought the bottle back up to the kitchen, grabbed a shot glass, then went up to his study. Artemis set the glass and the bottle on the desk and sat in his chair. His gaze swept over the desk until it rested on the fairy communicator. He hadn't worn the ring for four and a half years now, ever since she'd left him alone. It sat in plain view on the desk, collecting dust. And now…

Artemis shook his head, dispelling the disconcerting thoughts from the day. He didn't think that leaving the ring out in the open where he could see it was a good idea, but he'd never bothered to put it away. It wasn't as if he'd ever use it again…

A thought hit him full force. _I could try._ He could always try to contact her. But he didn't want to. He didn't want to be rejected again. He shook his head again.

"I will _not _try," he told himself out loud. No use entertaining false hopes.

Artemis cracked open the lid of the bottle and poured a little scotch into the glass. He let his thoughts muddle as he drank the liquor. He wouldn't think about her. He would try not to let Finn's magic bother him. He'd had magic once, from the time stream. An unfortunate loss that he uselessly spent it all on his mother. There was so much he could have done with a little magic. Instead, he was left with mismatched eyes and painful memories. A single tear escaped the careful wall Artemis had built around his emotions.

An hour and several more shots of scotch later, Artemis was asleep.

**Must I remind you to review??? I still have more...**


	3. Arsenal

**Only 2 review??? I'm so disappointed...Please review! I don't even care if you flame me, but seeing as I want to be an author/script writer, I need to know if I suck!**

Artemis awoke to Finn sitting on his lap playing with the half empty scotch bottle. His eye went wide when the boy began to attempt to pour some into the empty shot glass on the desk.

Artemis sat up straight and grabbed the bottle out of Finn's hand before he could pour it all over the desk.

"Finn, you can't play with this. Remember what I said about not pouring things by yourself yet?"

Finn blinked, then nodded solemnly. "Yes daddy, I remember." He hopped off of Artemis's lap. "But I'm thirsty."

Artemis stood up, the bottle of scotch still in hand. "You can't drink this though." He began out the door and down to the kitchen where he could cork the bottle.

Finn tagged along behind him. "Why not?"

"Because this is only for Daddy. You will not try and drink any of this, you understand," Artemis asked, looking over his shoulder at Finn.

Finn nodded sadly. "I understand."

Artemis sighed, hating to see his son even slightly downcast. "I'll get you some juice from the fridge, alright?"

Finn brightened. "Ok." He ran ahead of Artemis down the stairs.

Artemis ran his free hand through his hair, trying to smooth it out. If only he was that energetic, he might be able to handle this better.

When he arrived in the kitchen, Finn already had a glass and some apple juice out. He stood expectantly by the extensive marble counter.

Artemis placed the scotch on the counter, his mood improved by one simple thought as he poured his son some juice and handed him the glass. Butler and Juliet would be home soon. He corked the scotch and was about to get something to eat out of the fridge when Myles and Beckett entered.

The twins were still in their pajamas, laughing at some unknown joke. They paused when they saw Artemis in the kitchen.

"You sleep in your clothes Artemis?" asked Beckett, a slight smirk on his face.

Myles noticed the scotch and shook his head. "You know Mother will throw a fit if she finds out you've been drinking again."

Artemis remained calm on the outside, even though inside he was boiling. "What do you mean by 'again' Myles?" He asked. "I haven't drunk anything for four years."

"Yeah, ever since your girlfriend dumped you," snickered Beckett. "Then you just drowned yourself in scotch, didn't you?"

The twins didn't actually know anything about her, for which Artemis was grateful, but they could guess well enough what had happened, and it gave them just the arsenal they needed.

"Again, Beckett, that was four years ago. I've gotten over it," he lied smoothly.

Beckett frowned, but didn't say anything else. He was never really sure when Artemis was lying and when he was telling the truth.

Myles shrugged. "We just wanted some breakfast." He pushed past Artemis and looked in the fridge.

As Myles searched the fridge, Beckett noticed Finn. He smiled. "Hey Finn, my little buddy!"

Finn's face broke out in a smile and he ran over to hug Beckett's legs. "Uncle Beckett!"

Beckett frowned. "Drop the 'uncle' Finn. I don't like the sound of it, not quite yet. I'm not old enough to be an uncle." He shot a glare at Artemis.

Finn looked up at him with a serious expression. "But daddy said that I'm supposed to be respectful of my superiors," he stated gravely.

Beckett laughed. "What have you been teaching the kid Arty?"

Artemis winced.

Beckett disentangled Finn from his legs, then joined Myles as his twin pulled something from the fridge.

"Are you finished yet?" Artemis asked coldly.

"Nearly," muttered Myles, pulling some plates from the cupboard as Beckett poured each of them a glass of juice.

Myles collected his findings and left the kitchen.

"See ya Finn!" Beckett called before giving Artemis a sarcastic salute and following his twin.

Finn waved enthusiastically until Beckett was out of his sight. He then turned to Artemis.

"I'm hungry Daddy."

Artemis nodded. "I know." He straightened his shirt slightly self-consciously, then made Finn some breakfast with his still limited cooking knowledge.


	4. Holly

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story! Here's the next Chapter!**

Artemis ate quickly, heartened by Butler's return which was close at hand. Finn ate silently, contemplating something.

He looked up at Artemis. "Daddy, is my picture dry yet?"

Artemis glanced at his son. "Yes."

"I want to give it to Grandma. She always likes my pictures."

Artemis nodded, standing and picking up his and Finn's plate. He placed them in the sink, then got Finn's picture off the top of the fridge and handed it to him.

"You can go give it to Grandma, Finn. I'm going up to my study. I'll be there if you need me, alright?"

Finn nodded. "Ok," he said and he ran from the kitchen. Artemis could hear his footsteps clamber up the stairs. He smiled when the squeaky step protested.

Artemis cleaned the kitchen briskly, then hurried upstairs to change and make himself presentable again. Everyday he dressed properly, entertaining the hope that just maybe she'd visit him. So far he'd been disappointed.

He straightened his navy blue tie and was about to leave the room when a familiar heat haze shimmered in front of him. He caught his breath as she materialized in front of him. Her mechanical wings fluttered to a stop as she landed on the floor before him. He shook his head. _I'm dreaming_, he concluded. _It's really pathetic that I haven't even woken up yet. Finn is probably wondering where I am._

Then she spoke.

"Artemis?"

Her voice, it was so familiar, so real. He couldn't be dreaming. But it was the only explanation. He had waited four and a half years and there had been nothing. It wouldn't make sense if she came back now.

Artemis could only think of one thing to say. "Do you possibly know if I'm dreaming?" he asked.

She let out a choked laugh. "Dreaming? Are you serious? You aren't dreaming Artemis. I promise."

Now it was his turn to laugh bitterly. "You promise? Last time you promised-"

"Don't hold that against me Arty."

"Don't call me Arty. There is no reason that you would ever have to call me that again," he said, his voice cold.

"Arty…Artemis, you don't understand. You know that it wouldn't work. You _know_ that! Why are you still mad at me?"

"Because you left me by myself with a child to take care of. You know that my childcare skills are limited, especially caring for fairy children!"

She blinked. "What?"

"You heard me Holly," Artemis said. "Finn is part fairy. I am deeply unimpressed with Foaly's equipment right now. You can tell him that, by the way."

"Artemis, I didn't know. Foaly told me…"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't trust Foaly as much as you do. His equipment failed. Besides, did you really think that he would be entirely human? Were you really that stupid?"

Holly looked as though she had just been slapped. "Artemis…" She looked into his mismatched eyes. He still held one of hers, just as she held one of his. An undeniable connection, but still…

"You can leave now Holly." His voice was cold, but his eyes betrayed his feelings. He desperately wanted her to stay, just for an hour, maybe half and hour, just so he could be with her. But it would hurt too much when she left again. This would already end badly for him emotionally.

Holly's mouth dropped open. "I don't even get to see him?"

"You forfeited that chance when you left him with me. What do think he's going to do when he sees you? Run up to you yelling 'mommy'? He hasn't seen you since he was a year and a half old. He won't remember you."

Holly looked at the floor. "I guess not." She glanced up at Artemis. "Can I shield and see him?" she begged. She was begging. How un-LEP like.

Artemis exhaled. "Just a minute. And don't you dare go running off." Artemis turned and walked towards the window, wondering what he should to. Technically Finn was Holly's child too. She had a right. But she also forfeited that right in leaving Finn with him. He supposed it couldn't hurt for her to see him. Just as long as he didn't see her. Artemis would kill her if she disrupted his son's life. And if he saw her, it would destroy his life. Everything he knew would fall apart at the discovery that his mother was a fairy. So maybe just as long as she stayed shielded.


	5. Been Missing You

**Thanks for Reviewing, all of you! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!**

Holly studied Artemis while his back was turned to the window. He'd let his hair grow out more. It fell to about an inch below his ears. He didn't gel it anymore. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in weeks. She knew it was because of her, because she left him. She had seen in his eyes how much he missed her, wanted her to stay.

But he couldn't allow himself the luxury, she knew. She did have to leave again, and she didn't want to make it harder on him than it already was. She would understand if he didn't let her see Finn.

Artemis turned back around. He ran his fingers through his hair and nodded. "You can see him. Five minutes."

She nodded also. "Thank you Artemis."

Artemis didn't reply, just left the room. Of course he'd supervise it. He didn't want her trying to take Finn or anything. She shielded and followed him.

He led her to a room that had a sign hanging on the door. It said 'Finn', in awkward, messy writing. There were paintings taped on the door, although most of them looked just like splotches of color.

Artemis knocked and a small voice said, "You can come in."

Artemis pushed the door open. "Hey Finn." He forced a smile. "What are you doing?"

Finn held up a toy train and a small red car. "Well, the train is running over the car. It has people in it, but the fairies save them."

Holly blinked in shock. What did Finn know about fairies?

Artemis nodded, his expression pained. "I see. Did you give your picture to Grandma?"

"Yes. She said it was bootiful."

Artemis laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was obviously paining him to know that Holly was watching. "Beautiful, Finn. It's pronounced beautiful."

Finn tried out the correct pronunciation of the word, then looked at Artemis. "She told me to tell you that she wanted to talk to you Daddy."

Artemis winced. "Thank you Finn." He glanced at his watch and got to his feet. "Butler and Juliet are going to be back soon. Make sure that you look nice for when they get here."

Finn nodded and continued bashing the red car with the train as Artemis closed the door.

"What did you tell him about fairies?" Holly hissed into his ear.

Artemis kept his eyes fixated forward. "I just made everything we went through into stories for him. He really enjoys them…I wonder why?" His tone was sarcastic.

Holly was silent. She couldn't be mad at him for telling Finn stories about them. She flew behind Artemis as he went down the hallway. Finn was so big. So grown up. She'd missed almost five years of her only son's life. Last time she'd seen him, he was still in diapers. She deeply regretted staying away so long.

Artemis continued down the hallway, past his room and study. Holly blinked. She had been expecting him to enter his study.

"Where are you going?" she hissed.

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"Yes, it does. I still wanted to talk to you."

Artemis shrugged indifferently. "Has it ever occurred to you that I may not want to speak to you?"

"No, it hasn't," Holly growled, her shield slipping slightly. "I can see it in your eyes. You want me to stay."

Artemis's step faltered for a moment, but he caught himself and continued down the stairs and back to the kitchen. It wasn't even noon yet and he desperately needed a drink.

Once in the kitchen, Holly unshielded. "You can't keep avoiding me forever Fowl."

Artemis shook his head. "I think," he said, as he uncorked the scotch, "that you are the one avoiding me." He poured a small amount into a clean shot glass and downed it.

"Scotch Artemis?" she asked. "You've never really been one for drinking. You told me once that it's a filthy habit."

"Ah yes, once upon a bitter day when you actually cared." He held up the scotch bottle as if to emphasize his point.

Holly was reaching the end of her straw. "Artemis, would you listen to me for one minute?" she yelled as she activated her wings and flew up so that their eyes were level. She grabbed the collar of his shirt. "I do still care! There hasn't been a day when I haven't thought of you, when I haven't wished that I could see you and be with you!" Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she pressed her lips to his. She drew back only slightly. "I love you Artemis," she said.


	6. Decisions, Decisions

**HOORAY! Next chapter! Thanks to those you reviewed me! I shall love you forever! Well, not literally, but theoretically. **

Artemis stared into her mismatched eyes, seeing that she was telling the truth. She regretted leaving as much as he missed her. She really did love him. But that didn't make everything suddenly better.

He had finally succeeded in pushing her from his mind, and now she was back, flooding it again, filling it with things he didn't need to know, things that would torment him when she left. It was the worst idea he had ever had, falling in love with a fairy.

Now her lips were still dangerously close to his and it took all his will power not to kiss her back. His thoughts were already muddling; she did the same thing to him now as she had when he was still a teenager. It wasn't fair.

"Say something Artemis, please," she begged, searching his eyes for the confirmation she needed that he still loved her too. Of course he did, but she needn't know that just yet.

"Holly, before I trust you again, you are going to have to put a lot more into this," he said in a business-like tone.

Holly sighed and backed away from him again, letting go of his shirt. The disappointment was evident in her eyes, but she knew that she shouldn't have expected any more. She had hurt him deeply and he wasn't ready to forgive her yet.

Artemis straightened his collar. "You have to make a decision Holly," he said, pouring another shot of scotch. "You can come and help me, be with me, and leave the LEP behind. Or you have to go away and never come back. Because this will not work. You can't just pop in here every five years, see Finn, and expect me to be ok with it."

Holy frowned. "Leave the LEP?"

"You can't very well do both at the same time," Artemis told her, drinking the scotch.

"I can't be here on the surface either. Everyone will know I'm a fairy," Holly objected.

Artemis shrugged. "Cosmetic surgery, implants…we'd think of something."

"What about the fact I'm only three and some feet tall?"

"Couldn't the fairies do something about that?" Artemis asked. "You're hundreds of years in front of humans in terms of technology."

"Artemis," Holly said angrily. "Neither way is going to work."

"You could always leave and never come back," Artemis forced himself to make the suggestion. "It's not as though you're actually losing something anyway. Just a Mud Man and your cross-species child," he laughed bitterly, not bothering to use the shot glass anymore and just drinking from the bottle.

Holly slapped him across the face. "Don't you ever say that again! I love you both more than you know." She lowered her eyes to the floor. "I couldn't live with that."

Artemis placed a hand on his cheek as a reflex action but said nothing. He glanced at the almost empty bottle of scotch. Angeline was going to freak.

Holly looked up at him again. "I need time to think Artemis," she said quietly. "I honestly don't know what to do." Tears dripped down her cheeks again. "I'm sorry I've hurt you so much."

Artemis sighed. "You aren't forgiven yet. Not that quickly."

"I understand," Holly whispered, the pain in her eyes unbearable. "I'll be back in three days."

"And you will have made a decision by then?" Artemis asked.

Holly nodded, reaching down and taking the scotch bottle from him. "Don't drink anymore Arty." She placed the bottle on the counter, then flew closer to him again. She hated how he was so much taller than her. It made everything so much more difficult. Maybe she should do as he suggested and get some growth hormone added to her system.

She pushed a stray strand of hair out of his eyes and kissed him quickly. "Take care, alright?"

Artemis nodded, momentarily stunned. He had forgotten how pretty she really was, how her scent reminded him of cinnamon and apples. He had forgotten how much he actually missed her.

And for a moment, he let it show as he hugged her, wary of her vibrating wings. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and they stood that way for a while, until the slam of a car door brought them back to reality.

Artemis let her go and she shimmered out of view.

"Good bye Arty," she whispered, as the heat haze that was Holly flew out the open window.


	7. Return

**Funniest, randomest fast ever. Did you know that The Artemis Fowl Files is dedicated to someone named Finn? Look it up if you don't believe me. And I found that out AFTER i picked the name Finn, so I am not a cheater...here's the next chapter, I had to post it!**

Artemis watched the window where Holly had flown out until a familiar set of footsteps drew him away from his thoughts. He turned towards the doorways just in time to see Butler's hulking frame enter the kitchen, bags in one hand, Sig Sauer in the other.

"Is someone threatening you Artemis?" he growled.

Artemis shook his head. "No."

Butler lowered the gun, but was still alert. "I was sure I heard you talking to someone."

"I was talking to someone," Artemis said quietly. "There was just no threatening."

Butler took one glance at his employer's expression and immediately understood. "Holly."

Artemis nodded blankly. "I never asked her why she decided to come back after leaving me for nearly five years."

Butler dropped his luggage on the counter and holstered his gun. He picked up the close to empty scotch bottle, twirling around the remaining liquid. "What did she want?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure," Artemis confessed.

Butler was slightly surprised. Artemis was usually over one hundred percent sure about everything.

"She wanted to see Finn, I think, but other than that, I don't know what her reason was. I gave her a choice though. I had to. I told her that she had to either leave me and never come back or leave the LEP and never go back." Artemis looked as though he was going to break down at any moment. This was not something that generally happened, and therefore made Butler very alarmed.

He decided to change the subject to something more comfortable. "How is Finn anyway?"

Artemis smiled ruefully, but answered. "He's been fine. However, we seemed to have chanced upon some…anomalies. He…" Artemis faltered.

Butler frowned. This was apparently another tricky conversation. " What about him Artemis?"

"He…he has _magic_," Artemis muttered. "Limited amounts, to be sure, but magic none the less. Pointed ears also. I'm extremely unimpressed with Foaly's equipment at the moment."

Butler frowned. "Are you sure that you aren't just imagining things Artemis?" He held up the scotch bottle questioningly.

"I am not drunk, if that's what you're asking," Artemis snapped. "And besides, this was yesterday, before I even had anything to drink. He cut himself on the letter opener…I saw the sparks…one minute he was bleeding, the next he was fine. I've seen too much fairy magic at work to doubt that he has any."

Butler frowned. "And pointed ears too? Why now? Why not when he was born?"

"Genetic?" suggested Artemis. "And besides, what does it matter? He has them and that's what the problem is! How is he supposed to be normal when he's part fairy?"

"Who's part fairy?" cut in a small voice. Finn stood in the doorway, watching Butler and Artemis curiously.

Artemis frowned briefly, then shook his head. "No one Finn. Aren't you going to say hi to Butler?"

Finn smiled and ran up to Butler, hugging one of his huge legs. "Hi Butler!"

Butler grinned and hoisted Finn onto his shoulders. Butler was the only person in the house who could pick Finn up easily anymore. Finn enjoyed it immensely. "How's your daddy been Finn?"

"He's been fine," Finn answered. "We finger painted yesterday!"

Butler smirked at Artemis. "Really?"

"Yes," Finn said excitedly. "And then daddy told me the story, the one about the goblin rebolution and the fairies in the arctic!"

Butler glanced at Artemis warningly.

Artemis only smiled. "Revolution, Finn," he corrected his son.

Butler looked up at Finn. "Sounds like you had fun."

Finn nodded vigorously. Then he looked at Butler inquisitively. "Where's Juliet?"

Butler shrugged his massive shoulders. "I don't know. How about you call her?"

Finn nodded and obliged. "Juliet!" he yelled loudly.

Juliet appeared the doorway moments later, grinning. "Finn!" she exclaimed excitedly as Butler set the boy down so he could run and hug Juliet.

Finn hugged her legs tightly. "Daddy and Butler are talking about fairies," he whispered. "I think they're going crazy."

Juliet laughed but noticed Butler and Artemis's serious expressions. "I think they're going crazy too," she whispered. "How about we go into another room and I'll teach you some wrestling moves instead of listening to them talk about fairies?"

Finn nodded and grabbed a handful of her pants. He began to pull her out of the kitchen.

Artemis and Butler nodded gratefully at her before she disappeared.


	8. Forgiven

**Next chapter! Yay! Excitement! I suppose that at some point I should say that I do not own these characters. All of them except for Finn belong to Eoin Colfer. But anyway, read and review PLEASE!**

"That centaur…" Butler growled once Juliet and Finn were out of hearing range. "I don't understand how he didn't know. Foaly knows virtually everything!"

Artemis shook his head. "All I know is that when Finn goes to school in September, if he starts speaking in other languages and healing himself, he's going to have some serious issues with the other kids."

"You survived through that," Butler reminded him.

"Unfortunately. Had I actually tried to make friends and be a normal child, I wouldn't have kidnapped Holly in the first place and none of this would have happened."

"You can't blame any of this on your intellect Artemis. You were a brilliant boy with no time to make friends or be normal. You had better things to do. And besides, would you give Finn up for anything now?"

Artemis shook his head. "Nothing, not all the gold in the world."

"Exactly," Butler pointed out. "You couldn't imagine not having him around. You don't wish that it never happened."

Artemis sighed. "I suppose you're right Butler. I think that my brilliant intellect may be dying." He smiled bitterly.

Butler shook his head. "You're just stressed. Stress does some pretty strange things to people." He picked up his bags. "I'm going to go put these away."

"You can do that. I have to go speak to my mother," Artemis said darkly.

Butler sighed. "Angeline and you can't keep fighting about this. You're going to have to make up some day Artemis." With those words, he left the room.

Artemis sighed. "I know," he muttered to himself before following suite and heading upstairs to his parent's room.

Artemis hadn't been in his parent's room for any other reason than to be lectured since he had brought Finn home. He wasn't expecting any more this time.

He knocked cautiously.

Angeline's voice drifted through the thick wood.

"Enter."

Artemis pushed open the door silently. "You asked for me Mother?"

Angeline sat on her bed, a book in her lap. Her slightly graying hair was pulled back, and the expression on her face made it seem as though something extremely unpleasant had just happened. She nodded. "Indeed I did. Come in."

Artemis entered the room completely, closing the heavy wooden door behind him. He stood in front of it, unwilling to be without an escape if Angeline became angry.

She sighed dramatically. "Artemis, what am I supposed to do with you?"

Artemis said nothing.

"Myles and Beckett tell me you've been drinking again." Angeline muttered, almost sounding sympathetic, but slightly mocking at the same time.

Artemis frowned, resolving to strangle the twins next time he saw them. "I am an adult Mother. I can do what I want."

"That's what you said about Holly and look where you are now," Angeline snapped.

Artemis winced. "That was my mistake as well. I took full blame of it and complete responsibility of Finn."

Angeline shook her head. "No matter how disappointed in you I am Artemis, it doesn't mean that I don't still want the best for you.

Artemis restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "I will keep that in mind Mother." He turned and placed a hand on the doorknob, about to leave.

"Artemis." She stopped him. "Arty, I miss you. You've been so…distant. I'm still disappointed in you, but I have forgiven you. There's nothing I can do about Finn and so…I just wanted you to know that I've forgiven you."

Artemis glanced back. The smile on her face was genuine. He removed his hand from the doorknob. "Thank you Mother."

"You've done a good job with him Artemis. He's a very nice boy. He knows his manners, but he isn't too formal. I'm quite impressed that you were able to do it all without Holly's help. I was worried when you brought him home, worried that he would turn out like you were…" she trailed off.

Artemis nodded, pleased by Angeline's unexpected kindness. He was about to say something when he heard a crash from downstairs. His eyes widened.

"I have to go, I think something just broke. But thank you Mother. It means a lot to me to have your support again."

Angeline nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "Go make sure Finn isn't hurt."

Artemis smiled faintly, gladdened by his mother's forgiveness, and rushed out the door to find out what had happened.

Angeline turned back to her book, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of her now that she had forgiven her eldest son.


	9. Discovery

**Sorry if the last chapter seemed a little rushed. I don't really like writing about Artemis's parents. So here's the next one, hope you like it!**

Artemis almost ran down the stairs. He hoped that Juliet hadn't hurt Finn. He knew she was always careful, but you never knew…

When he entered the living room, he let out a pent-up breath as he noticed Juliet and Finn lying on the floor laughing. All the furniture was pushed out of the way, leaving an open area in the middle of the room, but a shattered vase lay on the perimeter of the space.

Juliet looked up, tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. "Sorry Artemis…I think we broke something."

Artemis glanced briefly at the remnant of the vase. A priceless collectible, of course, but he couldn't care less.

He knelt beside Finn. "Are you hurt?"

The boy shook his head, blue eyes shining as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Are you mad Daddy?" he asked. "About the vase?"

"No," Artemis said. "But we are going to clean up the mess you made."

Finn nodded and scrambled to his feet, beginning to gingerly pick up shards of glass.

Artemis sighed and joined his son.

However, Juliet quickly grabbed his arm. "You don't have to help Artemis. Butler and I can take care of it."

Artemis looked at her sadly. "I need something to do to keep my mind off…things."

Juliet nodded and let go of his arm, the tone in his voice speaking for itself.

As they cleaned, Artemis found his mind wandering regardless. The glass lying all over the floor had sparked a thought in his mind. Could Finn heal others too? Could he heal at will? If someone were to get cut by the glass-

Artemis's train of thought was abruptly cut off at a yelp from Finn. He glanced up and saw the boy holding his hand, palm up, and looking at a small shard of glass protruding from it. Artemis saw that he was trying not to cry.

He crawled over to his son, who held his injured hand out to Artemis as he sniffled.

Artemis took his hand gently and looked Finn in the eyes.

"Finn, I want you to do something for Daddy."

Finn nodded and sniffled.

"I'm going to pull this out and I want you to concentrate really hard on your hand getting better really quickly."

Finn looked confused but obliged by staring intently at his hand.

Artemis had to smile, but soon winced at the thought of removing the glass from Finn's hand. He didn't want to cause him any pain. He sighed and quickly pulled out the shard.

Artemis watched Finn's hand expectantly, but for a moment, nothing happened. Then, blue sparks erupted and ran along his arm, targeting the wound and erasing it from his skin.

Finn stared at his hand in wonder, then looked up at Artemis. "What was that?"

"Magic," Artemis said quietly, still entranced.

"Magic?" Finn asked, now completely confused.

Artemis looked into Finn's eyes. "I never told you Finn. They said that you were fine, but obviously you're a bit different from the rest of us." He took a deep breath. Finn waited for him to continue.

"Finn, you are part fairy. Elf, to be exact."

Finn sat still for a moment, then leapt to his feet. "I'm a fairy?"

"Part fairy," Artemis corrected, unable to read Finn's expression.

Finn frowned for a moment, but a grin soon broke through. "Cool! Do I get wings? And pointy ears?"

Artemis laughed quietly. "No wings. But you do have pointed ears."

Finn's hands flew up to his ears. He ran his finger over the small points before jumping up and down and yelling "I'm a fairy!"

Artemis clapped his hand over Finn's mouth before anyone could hear.

"Quiet Finn. You must not tell anyone, especially not Grandpa, Myles and Beckett, you understand?"

Finn nodded and Artemis removed his hand from his mouth.

"Why not?" Finn whispered.

"Because they don't know about the fairies and they must never find out. You have to keep the fairies a secret."

Finn nodded again. "Alright." He looked thoughtful for a moment before asking. "Do Juliet and Butler know about the fairies?" He glanced at Juliet suspiciously.

"Yes, they do. You can talk to them about the fairies."

"Good." Finn looked back at Artemis. "Do you have magic Daddy?"

Artemis sighed. "I did once. It was a long time ago. Do you remember the story with the demons?"

"Yes."

"Well, the boy in the story, that was me."

Finn gasped.

"I stole magic in the time stream. But I lost it trying to heal Grandma, in the story about the lemur Jayjay."

Finn stared at Artemis with wide eyes. "You know the fairies?"

Artemis nodded. "I do," he said, a little bit sadly. "I haven't seen them in a very long time though." He decided to leave out the part about Holly. Finn would probably meet her soon enough now.

"Why not?"

"I'm not really sure Finn. I think that the fairies don't want to see me."

"Why would the fairies not want to see _you_?" Finn asked incredulously. Artemis heard a slight snicker from Juliet as she finished picking up the glass.

"I'll explain to you when you're older," Artemis answered wearily. "It's a very long story and hard to understand."

"You promise you'll tell it to me though?"

Artemis nodded. "I promise."

"So did _all_ of those things happened to you? All the stories you told me with the boy and the fairies?" Finn asked.

"They did. All of them happened to me."

Finn sat on Artemis's lap and looked up at him in wonder. "You're so lucky Daddy. I wish those things would happen to me."

Artemis smiled, although it was still sad.

Finn kept talking. "So you kidnapped a fairy too? What was she like? What was her name? Did you use real names in the stories?"

Artemis sighed. He was going to be answering questions for a long time now that he'd told Finn the truth.

"Her name was Holly Short."


	10. Frustration

**Sorry, this is a super short chapter, but it's just the way it has to be. If i have time I'll post another before the night's out, but we'll see...**

The Holly Short in question was pacing her apartment in the Lower Elements only hours before, desperately trying to come up with an easy answer to her dilemma. She had known the time would come when she would have to pick between her life in Haven and Artemis Fowl. She just didn't expect it to be so soon.

_There has to be a better answer!_ she yelled at herself. _There just has to be!_

She didn't want to leave the LEP, but she missed Artemis like heck. It was the worst idea she'd ever had, falling in love with a Mud Man. But she just couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone but Artemis.

Trouble was always trying to get her to spend time with him, but she thought of the commander as a big brother, nothing more. It always felt wrong when she was with him now. He was always trying to become more than friends and it just wasn't right with Holly. She wanted Artemis.

She stopped her pacing and stood in the middle of the apartment, having the sudden urge to hit something. Maybe she would go find Mulch or Foaly.

_Why don't you go talk to Foaly?_ questioned her subconscious. _Ask him about growth hormones and implants. Ask him how to become human._

Holly yelled and slammed her fists against the closest wall. She had less than three days to decide. Why had she even given herself such a deadline?

_Because Artemis needs an answer_, she answered herself. _I can't do this to him anymore. Finn either. He's going to grow up without a mother and it will be all my fault._

Holly stared at the wall in front of her, tears dripping down her cheeks. _Where is _my_ mother when I need her?_

And now Finn had magic too. Curse Foaly's machines. Holly was going to give him a piece of her mind next time she saw him. However, there were bigger issues at hand.

_I wonder if Artemis is having a hard time with Finn. I seem to recall that most fairy children are more than a bit stubborn._ She couldn't leave Artemis with a magical child and expect him to be able to deal with it.

_He knows about magic though_, she countered herself. _He had it once himself. He should know about it, be able to help Finn._

But there was so much Artemis couldn't teach him. He wasn't a fairy and he didn't have any of that magic left.

Holly couldn't decide if she was winning or losing her own argument. She knew for a fact that Artemis needed help, that much was undeniable. But could Holly really leave her life in the LEP and become human? Give up her long, elfin life for a short, human one? Would she even still have magic?

Holly flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. What to do? She stood up again. She hadn't made a decision yet, but she needed some advice. She would go talk to Foaly.


	11. He Wasn't Lying

**This one's longer, I think. Hope you all like it! Reviews would be nice (hint, hint ^^)**

Holly burst into Foaly's tech room without knocking. The centaur, who had been leaning over something, jumped and whinnied in surprise, knocking whatever he had been working on to the ground.

"Keep your tail on Foaly," Holly said, picking up the little piece of circuit board of whatever it was.

Foaly snatched the circuit board back grumpily. "Don't you know how to knock?"

Holly ignored him. "I saw Fowl," she stated.

Foaly almost dropped the circuit board again. "Artemis Fowl? Why?"

Holly lost her composure, tears breaking out of their wall again. "Foaly, I had too! I miss him so much! I can't possibly keep staying away from him. I know I'm not really supposed to see him, but I can't help it!"

Foaly sighed and put down his circuit board. He hugged Holly. "I know. I couldn't imagine never seeing Cabelline. I know that it hurts you."

"I don't know what to do Foaly! He told me that I have to decide between him and the LEP and he's right. I can't keep doing this to him. Or to Finn."

"Finn's the kid, right?"

Holly nodded and wiped one of her cheeks. "Which reminds me. He is the 'magical' kid."

Foaly's eyes widened. "Whoa, back up there. Did you say 'magical'?"

"Yes. Artemis said that he has pointed ears and can use magic."

"Did you actually see this yourself?" Foaly asked suspiciously.

"Artemis didn't lie," Holly said undoubtedly. "He wouldn't lie to me."

"He lied to you once before," Foaly pointed out.

"That was years ago!" exclaimed Holly, refusing to believe that Artemis would have lied to her again.

"He may have just said that to make it seem as though you _had_ to come back." Foaly saw how it hurt Holly, but he had to say it. The Mud Man had lied in the past, and for all they knew, he could have been lying when he told Holly he wouldn't lie to her anymore.

Holly's face was even more downcast now than it had been minutes before, if that was possible. She walked over to the other side of the room, staring blankly at the wall. Did Artemis lie again? She had thought it was all in their past, but now…

Suddenly she had an idea. She whipped her head around to face Foaly.

"Do you still have cameras hooked up to Fowl Manor?"

Foaly nodded. "Yes, but they haven't been in use to years now, ever since Artemis was deduced not to be a threat to the people anymore."

"Can you bring them back?" Holly asked.

"Can I make an LEP officer fly?" Foaly responded, turning to his computers, his fingers clicking over the old school keyboard that he still preferred over his patented virtual keyboard.

"This will only take a moment…" Foaly muttered, concentrating on the computer screen.

Before long, images of different parts of Fowl Manor flickered onto the giant plasma screens around the room. Holly saw Artemis running down the stairs in one screen and Finn and Juliet lying on the floor laughing in the other. A vase lay shattered between them. Artemis must have heard the crash and went running to see if Finn was hurt.

Holly and Foaly watched as Artemis bent over his son, inspecting him for injuries. Moments later, they began cleaning up the glass.

Holly had kept her eyes on Artemis until the cameras transmitted a small yelp underground into the small tech room. She whipped her head over to where Finn was on the screen.

The boy sat on the floor, a piece of glass protruding from his hand. Artemis crawled over and Holly heard him clearly.

"_Finn, I want you to do something for Daddy."_

Holly felt like crying as she watched how careful Artemis was with Finn. But she blinked in surprise at the next thing Artemis said.

"_I'm going to pull this out and I want you to concentrate really hard on your hand getting better really quickly."_

Artemis actually did believe that Finn had magic. She stared at the screen in wonder as blue sparks wound up Finn's arm, sealing up the wound. She had seen enough.

She glared at Foaly who was still staring at the screen, a look of unbelief on his face.

"I told you he wasn't lying!"

"Fascinating," Foaly muttered. "I was wrong."

"Well that's a first," Holly said sarcastically. "Do you believe me now?"

Foaly nodded and switched off the cameras. "You do realize that if anyone in the Lower Elements finds out about this, they are going to be expected to do something about it."


	12. Brilliant, But Maybe Not

**I'm sorry, I have made a fatal mistake. I uploaded and added the wrong document! I'm so sorry everyone. Here is the real chapter 12~**

Holly shook her head. "We can't let anything happen to Finn."

"I understand Holly, but any of the LEP officers, Trouble included, will feel compelled to rid the People of the threat if it was known that Finn had magic. If that boy ever does anything like that in public, it could spell disaster for the entire Lower Elements."

"We can't tell anyone. I'm sure Artemis has told Finn that he _can't_ do that in public. He would never betray us," Holly said with conviction.

Foaly sighed. "You're so much different than you used to be Holly. Before, you would have agreed to eliminate the threat, no matter how much he mattered to you. You've changed as much as Artemis has."

"Well then I was a cold-hearted fool before," Holly stated, her eyes hard. She would not let anything happen to Artemis or Finn. "Besides, you've changed too."

"Have I?" Foaly asked with surprise.

"Yes. You used to be such an annoying smart-aleck. Now you're so…serious, and you actually say things that make sense."

"Well then, my marriage has probably mellowed me more that I thought possible," Foaly muttered.

"What is happening to us?" Holly asked, flopping down in Foaly's custom chair awkwardly. "I know that as you grow up, you change, but not this much!"

Foaly shrugged. "I don't know Holly. But we have bigger issues at hand right now. About Artemis and your…child." He frowned. It wasn't something the centaur had ever thought that he was going to say.

"Right," Holly stood and began to pace. "I don't want to quit my job in the LEP! I couldn't stand being just a normal fairy…or human. I was out of a job once before and I did not enjoy it."

"But you also don't want to leave Artemis behind and by himself with a fairy child either," Foaly said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"I couldn't Foaly." Holly shook her head. She wished this was as easy to solve as some of the other things that she'd come up against. If only it took a shock from her buzz baton, some fancy flying, a blast from her Neutrino…

"Well, if you don't want to go there, maybe he could come here."

Holly whipped her head around to look at Foaly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you and him…you know…got hitched-"

"Married," Holly corrected him.

"Right. Well, if you and him got…married…then there wouldn't really be anything stopping him from living down here, in the Lower Elements."

Holly blinked, thinking through what Foaly had just told her. Then her eyes widened. "Foaly, you're a genius!"

"Finally," muttered the centaur. "Somebody gets it."

"So he's allowed? To live down here? If we got married?"

"Technically speaking, yes. However, I'm sure there are some fairies who would oppose…"

Holly wasn't listening. "That's brilliant! He and Finn come down here, we get married, and I can still work in the LEP!"

"Holly, I don't know if you can be so certain about keeping your job. And think of how Artemis would feel. I mean, he obviously loves you, but he probably doesn't want to leave his home either."

Holly's face dropped. "You're right. I couldn't do that to him either! D'arvit!"

Foaly sighed. "There aren't many options here Holly, and you have to pick one."

"What about growth hormones?" Holly asked, beginning to grow desperate.

"Well, we could always do some implants, inject a bit of growth hormone into your system every month. Then you should probably look like a human and age like on too. Of course, we still have to do a bit of testing before we actually use some of this stuff on fairies, but it can be done."

"I need to talk to Artemis again," she muttered. "Thanks anyway Foaly. I'll bring you a couple cartons of carrots later."

Foaly shrugged. "You don't have to. I know how much this means to you."

"I still want to," Holly told him, heading towards the door. "I'll see you later. And don't tell anyone about Finn."

"I won't. And by the way, you probably shouldn't go topside again. You'll get arrested or something."

Holly nodded once, then was out the door to dig her communicator out of some drawer in her apartment.


	13. A Phone Call of Sorts

**I made a horrible mistake! This is really chapter 13! I'm so sorry!**

Artemis was sitting in his study, a bottle of scotch sitting, unopened, on the desk in front of him. He was debating whether or not he should actually drink any. It wasn't as if Holly's word was law, but on the flip side, she'd always wanted the best for him.

Artemis had put Finn to bed an hour earlier, after answering every question the six year old could throw at him. The exhaustion was evident on his face. He didn't know whether the scotch would help, or if it would just make him more tired.

Before he had a chance to answer his own question, a buzzing interrupted his thought process. It was a familiar sound, but he had to dredge it up from his memory to be able to identify it. It was his fairy communicator. Why was Holly calling him now? It hadn't been three days, she had only seen him this afternoon, and he'd expected that she would at least have the courtesy to show up in person.

He picked up the ring and twisted it open. Holly's anxious face was displayed on the screen.

"Artemis," she breathed. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Artemis replied. "Just tired. Why are you calling me? I thought you'd at least show up in person to turn me down."

Holly slapped her forehead. "D'arvit! Artemis, would you just listen to yourself? Can you maybe try and be positive for once?"

"Positive isn't entirely realistic. If you always expect the worst, you are never disappointed, only ever unsurprised or pleased, whereas, if you are positive, you will always be let down."

Holly glared at him. This was the infuriating Artemis that she had fallen in love with and she hated it as much as ever.

"First of all Artemis, I did not call you to give you an answer. I called you because I have another proposition."

"Carry on," Artemis said quietly, looking thoughtful.

"Foaly suggested to me that you and Finn could come live down here, in Haven."

"As in, leave my brothers as heirs to the manor whilst I leave my family to come down to the Lower Elements and live there with you, so you can continue being an LEP officer?"

Holly sighed. Artemis didn't miss a thing. "Correct."

"And this would be allowed?" Artemis asked skeptically.

"Well, we'd have to get…um…married."

Artemis didn't react, he merely sat in his chair and began to massage his temples after placing the communicator on the desk so that Holly could still see him and he could still see her.

"And Finn? His schooling?" Artemis questioned, his eyes closed.

"Of course he'd go to a fairy school. That way he would learn about his magic and so on, along with the other necessary subjects."

"And you'd be perfectly fine with me getting old and dieing well before you?" Artemis asked, pausing his massage and opening his eyes to see her face.

Holly opened her mouth, but no answer came. She couldn't say yes, because first of all, she wasn't alright with it, and secondly, that would prove that she should just leave Artemis and never come back. On the other hand, if she said no, she would have to do something about her own aging process. She would need hormones or whatever concoctions Foaly had made up so that she would grow old and die with Artemis.

She shook her head. "Not really, but what can I do about it."

"We talked about this Holly. Unless you have something that will slow _my_ aging process, you will have to do something about yours, or leave. It's that simple." Even as he said it though, he didn't agree with the statement of it being simple.

Holly shook her head. "You don't understand Artemis. I…I need you. In some way or another, I need you for however long I live, at the risk of sounding clichéd. When you were still twelve, I never thought I'd say it, but I am now."

Artemis ran his fingers through his hair. "I know. I…well…I need your help and I-I miss you."

Holly smiled faintly. "Thanks Arty. We have to figure out a way to solve this."

"You're right. There's an answer to everything, we just have to look harder for it."

"Especially since I can't leave you on your own with a magical child. You're hardly competent." Holly chuckled.

Artemis smirked. "Maybe more competent than you realize. I've gotten this far, haven't I?"

"And I applaud you for it, but you just found out that Finn has magic, and I doubt you can handle everything that he throws at you." Holly looked thoughtful for a moment. "How long do you think Finn will live? Since he's part fairy?"

"I'm guessing somewhere in between the two. Quite a bit longer than a human, but not as long as a fairy."

Holly snapped her fingers suddenly. "Which reminds me. What did you say before? About slowing your aging process?"

"I said that unless Foaly had something that could do that, you would have to do something about your own. But now that you mention it, if my aging process could be slowed, it would make this all a whole lot easier."

Holly made a mental note to ask Foaly if he had anything like that. "It could just be the answer to all of our problems although I wonder how the rest of the LEP would feel having you roam around for more than your allotted time!"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "I'm not planning any more kidnappings, if that's what you're getting at."

Holly smiled. "I'll talk to you later Arty. And don't get drunk," she said, motioning to the scotch bottle that was just inside the perimeter of the communicator.

Artemis smirked. "I'll try not to." He picked up the communicator. "Good night Holly."

Holly saluted him. "Good night Arty." She smiled once more, then turned off the communicator.

Artemis sighed and closed his as well, abandoning the scotch in the study and going to bed.


	14. Suspisions

**To make up for my terrible faux paux, I have added another chapter tonight. Again, I'm so sorry for that!**

When Artemis awoke the next morning, Finn was sleeping in the bed beside him. Artemis shifted and Finn blinked open bleary eyes.

"Are the trolls coming Daddy?"

Artemis smiled. "There aren't any trolls. You're safe Finn."

Finn wrapped his arms around himself. "I had a scary dream last night Daddy. Troll's were chasing us around the house and Butler was trying to fight them like he did in the story, but there were too many this time…"

Artemis put a hand on his son's arm. "It's alright Finn. There are no trolls. Butler is downstairs making breakfast at this very instant."

As if to prove his point, at that moment, Butler yelled from the kitchen. "Artemis, breakfast!"

"See," Artemis said, getting out of bed.

Finn jumped out of the other side of the queen bed. He ran over and hugged Artemis's legs. "I'm glad you're here Daddy."

Artemis knelt down and hugged Finn. "I'm glad I'm here too." After a moment he stood. "Now let's go down and get breakfast before Butler gets cranky." He ran his fingers through his hair a few times and straightened his pajamas before following Finn downstairs.

Butler had set out plates on the counter. Myles and Beckett were already at the table, inhaling their food.

Artemis got a plate of food for Finn, who voluntarily sat beside Beckett. Artemis sat on Finn's other side, always attentive to the things his brother put into Finn's head.

Beckett patted Finn's head. "How did you sleep little guy?"

"I had a bad dream, but I'm fine now."

"What was it about?" Beckett asked. Myles rolled his eyes. His brother still couldn't remember his manners.

Finn glanced at Artemis, who shook his head, before answering. "I can't really remember anymore. All I know is that it was really scary."

Beckett glanced suspiciously at Artemis, who returned the look with an equally terrifying vampire smile. Beckett shrunk back and looked away. Sometimes he swore his brother really was a vampire ready to drink his blood at any moment.

Myles glanced up at Artemis with a conspiratorial smirk. "So who were you talking to last night Artemis?"

Artemis froze for a moment. But he collected himself. "Excuse me?"

"We heard you, you know," Beckett said, stuffing some toast into his mouth.

"You were talking to someone named Holly," Myles speculated.

"Is she pretty?" Beckett asked, his mouth still full, meriting some more eye rolling from Myles.

"What you heard was a discussion with a business associate, nothing more," Artemis stated, slicing off a piece of egg and eating it with far more dignity that Beckett had eaten his toast with. "Besides Beckett, don't you already have a girlfriend?"

Beckett nodded and turned back to his plate, knowing that he'd been beaten by Artemis, again.

"Well then, who's Foaly? And what kind of business associate is Holly if you're discussing kidnapping with her?" Myles inquired.

Artemis almost swore under his breath before he remembered it was unnecessary and undignified. He settled for clenching his fists under the table while he came up with some more expertly fabricated lies scattered with bits of truth.

"Obviously you didn't hear the entire conversation. We were conversing about the kidnapping that had taken place a few days prior to today. They just found the victim last night. Foaly is the associate of Holly's that informed her. We were talking about how all our tax money is going to go the police now that they've found the victim, to pay their wages."

Myles frowned. Maybe Artemis was telling the truth, maybe he wasn't. He intended to research this kidnapping and see if it actually happened. But for now he decided to stop arguing with Artemis, he always seemed to lose.

Artemis, of course, knew that there actually had been a kidnapping a few days earlier, so if Myles researched it, he would find it. But he was sure that Beckett and Myles weren't going to bother him now so he finished his breakfast hurriedly.

"I'm going up to my study for a while Finn," he told the boy. "Can you busy yourself until I'm done? Then maybe we can go out for a bit."

Finn nodded enthusiastically and finished the last bite of his breakfast. He placed the plate by the sink, said thank you to Butler and ran off.

Artemis thanked his friend and headed off as well, but to research the human aging process rather than play with toys. That and to hide his bottle of scotch so Myles and Beckett wouldn't find it.


	15. Another Proposal

**One of my readers pointed out to me that my chronology didn't make sense. I did the math and sure enough. I appreciate it ilex-ferox. I tried to fix it. Artemis is now twenty-six and the twins are fourteen. Finn is still six. If anyone spots anything that isn't consistent with this, please let me know. Here is the next chapter! Yay!  
**

Holly hadn't slept well at all that night. She'd tossed and turned, Artemis's face burned into her mind. In one of the nightmares she'd had, Artemis had died - killed by Opal Koboi - and she'd woken screaming his name.

Holly still lay in bed when the artificial sun had been turned on. The light rays shone into Holly's window and made her long for the real sun; and maybe a life on the surface.

The previous night, after talking to Artemis, she had again barged in on Foaly who was still in his office, despite the late hour. Working on some new invention, was his excuse.

She'd questioned him incessantly on options in making Artemis's life-span longer and making herself taller. And options he'd given her. She had an entire list lying beside her bed. She had poured over them when she got home, determined to come to a conclusion. She could take growth hormones, Artemis could be the test for a new drug in expanding life-span – not like fairies didn't live long enough already – although she didn't prefer that option. If something went wrong…

Another option Foaly had given her was to ask No. 1 if he and Qwan could do something, in her department, in Artemis's, or in both. This option appealed to her most, although there were still some risks.

Holly had all but two days to make a decision. She had no idea which one would be best for her and Artemis. But there was still a nagging thought in the back of her mind that if she just left him, forgot about him, everything would be so much easier.

She refused to listen to it though. For her, it wasn't an option. She needed the Mud Man as surely as she needed the air she breathed, no matter how clichéd it was.

Holly sat up in bed, glancing around her cramped apartment. If she moved to Fowl Manor, she would have a huge room, a huge house. A bed with Artemis…the pull to leave this place was stronger now than ever.

A single tear escaped and ran down her cheek as she thought of Artemis. Seeing him twice yesterday, once in person, once by communicator, had reminded her how much she loved him, a fact that she had been trying to avoid by avoiding _him_.

She got dressed mechanically, unwanted thoughts invading her head. The fogged memory of Artemis's lips against hers …she couldn't think about it now. She had to go to work; she had a job to do, for however long she decided to keep it.

As she brushed and hair-sprayed her hair, the doorbell rang. Holly frowned, wondering who on earth – or below it – would come see her this early in the morning.

Holly placed the can of hairspray and the brush on the bathroom counter and went to get the door. In the frame stood Trouble Kelp, fully dressed in his LEP uniform and looking tired, but pleased.

"Holly," he said. "Can I come in for a moment?"

Holly looked at him curiously, but nodded. "Of course Commander."

"Trouble," he said. "I'm not on the job yet today so don't bother with the commander bit."

"Is there something I can do for you Trouble?" Holly asked, her soldiers brain immediately jumping to several conclusions as to what the occasion of Trouble's visit could be. Had someone died? Had they maybe captured Opal Koboi, whom they still hadn't found since she had come back with them in the time stream?

Trouble glanced at her. "You worry too much Holly. Can I not come by to say hi to my favorite LEP officer without something terrible having happened?"

Holly was now thoroughly confused. She was going to see him in about an hour anyway. What was the reason behind the urgency?

"Of course you can, but I would have seen you in an hour anyways."

"I am well informed of that Holly, but I couldn't very well do this at Police Plaza." Trouble got down on one knee in front of an extremely surprised Holly and pulled a small velvet box out of one of the pockets in his jacket.

Trouble flipped it open and sitting inside was a ring on a red velvet cushion. A beautiful ring. The gold band was studded with three large diamonds. It was extremely simple, but that was what made it so gorgeous to Holly. She preferred simplicity.

"I know we aren't…engaged, but I figured that we've known each other long enough, and I had to take the chance," Trouble blurted out.

Holly's eyes were wide. Fate was offering her a chance to get out of the mess she'd made with Artemis Fowl, even if it was with the man that she thought of as a brother.

"Holly, will you marry me?"


	16. Another Phone Call Made With a Phone

**Chapter 16! Woot! This a bout to get good...**

Artemis Fowl II walked along the Irish Coast holding the small hand of his son and wishing for Holly to be there as well. It would make the experience so much more complete.

The wind blew the salty air into his face and the sun warmed his skin. It was rare for the sun to be out in this part of Ireland, which was almost constantly covered with clouds, and it made Artemis happy for the first time in the past few years.

Finn skipped along beside him, occasionally stopping to pick up a rock, which meant that a couple times he had almost pulled Artemis over. But Artemis didn't mind. As the wind whipped at his raven colored hair, he thought of how it would feel to leave his life on the surface. To be stuck underground for weeks, months, maybe years. He didn't know how the fairies did it.

In the past few years, he had also discovered a passion for the outdoors. He actually enjoyed things such as hiking, much to his surprise. Apparently all of Butler's nagging his charge to work out had paid off in more ways that one. Besides the fact that he could defend himself now, and he enjoyed spending time outdoors doing activities, he had also built up some muscle, which was actually noticeable when he wore t-shirts instead of his customary dress shirts. Juliet had encouraged him to wear less formal clothes all the time and maybe only once and a while, but he did still prefer his dress shirts and pants.

Right now, however, he was wearing a dark gray t-shirt and a beige jacket that did wonders for his complexion, according to Juliet, along with jeans, as much as he hated to admit it. But at least he wasn't walking along the beachfront in an Armani suit.

As Finn stooped to pick up another rock, Artemis's cell-phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out as Finn straightened again. He flipped the device open and held it to his ear.

"Butler? What is it?"

"Artemis, you might want to come back fairly quickly here," Butler said, his voice sounding small through the phone's speaker.

"Is there a problem?" Artemis asked, alarm building in his tone. His mind began to run through possible scenarios. They had stopped walking and now stood in the middle of the path, people going about their business all around the worried father and his son whose pockets were bulging with stones.

"You might say that," Butler replied. "Holly's here," he paused, "again. She's crying, but won't tell anyone what's wrong. My guess is that you'll be able to coax something out of her."

Artemis nodded once. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He closed the phone and looked down at Finn.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go home now." Finn's face fell. Artemis sighed. "I promise that we'll come back soon."

Finn gave Artemis big puppy dog eyes. "You promise?"

Artemis knelt down in front of him and nodded. "I promise."

Finn brightened a little. "I got lots or rocks anyway."

"That you did," Artemis said, glancing at the boy's pockets. He then stood and began to lead Finn back to the Bentley.

Artemis helped Finn get buckled in the back, then slid in front of the wheel. What reason could Holly possibly have to see him _again_? They just weren't getting anywhere. One minute she's giving him more options, the next she's showing up at the Manor crying. What if the rest of his family had seen her? That would spell disaster for him and not to mention the entire fairy race. Especially if it was Myles…

Artemis shook his head, dispelling these thoughts from his mind. He would not assume worst case scenario. He had to be positive for Holly was obviously upset about something if she had come to the Manor in such a distressed state. Artemis pushed a little harder on the gas pedal, barely breaking the speed limit. He had to get home.


	17. Breakable

**I really like this chapter, I'm not sure why...Thank you to the many people who have reviewed this, by the way. Theoretically speaking, I love you all. Especially those who watch it with an avid passion, hehe :)**

Artemis brushed off his jacket and stepped from the Bentley. Imagine, the great Artemis Fowl II getting a speeding ticket, and he was barely above the speed limit. The cops must have been extremely bored or grumpy to give him a ticket. Artemis shook of his indignation. He could easily pay the hundred dollar fine and there were greater problems at hand.

Artemis helped Finn out off the backseat. The six year old ran off as soon as he was free of his car seat. Artemis sighed. He had never been so carefree.

He locked the car up and entered the Manor, close behind his hurricane of a son. Finn had left his sandy shoes on the carpet, staining it with mud and dirt. It would have to be cleaned later.

Artemis placed the shoes in the closet after knocking them off outside. As he did so, Butler came up behind him and placed a hand on his charge's shoulder.

"She's in your study."

Artemis nodded. "Thank you old friend." He changed his own shoes so as not to track mud through the house, then made his way up to the study. He pushed the door open silently and saw a startled Holly for a moment before she shielded.

Holly sighed with relief when she saw that it was Artemis. She dropped the shield and looked at him woefully.

She sat curled up in his desk chair, leaning against the back. Artemis noted that her eyes were red from crying and she looked disheveled, like she had been attacked.

Seconds later, Artemis was by her side. He knelt in front of the chair.

"Are you alright Holly? Did someone hurt you? You could have told Butler, you know and he would have gone after whoever it was."

Holly shook her head. "You don't understand Artemis."

"And I never will if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Holly stared at the opposite wall, over Artemis's head, for a moment, before jumping off the chair and flinging her arms around his neck. "Oh Artemis," she moaned. "I don't know what to do!"

He hugged her back. It felt as though he was hugging Finn. She was so small, so breakable…

"About what?" he asked quietly.

"About Trouble," she said. She pulled away enough just so that she could see his face. "Artemis, he proposed to me!"

Artemis was shocked. Had they been engaged? Not to his knowledge. Why would Trouble do that? Unless…

"Holly, does he know about Finn?"

Holly shook her head. "I don't think so."

Artemis contemplated it for a moment. He knew that Trouble had always had feelings for Holly; maybe he was finally taking advantage of that fact that she hadn't Artemis in over four years.

"Holly, he loves you, doesn't he?" It was a blunt question, but he had to ask.

"I-I guess so," Holly muttered, looking at the floor.

"Maybe he's finally taking advantage of that fact that we haven't seen each other in four and a half years."

"But I don't love him Artemis. He's like a big brother to me. I love _you_ and only you." She took a deep breath. This next part was going to be hard for her to say. "But I can't help but wonder if I should accept."

Artemis blinked, pulling away from her a bit. "You want to marry Trouble?"

Holly caught one of his hands. "Artemis, he's a fairy, I'm a fairy. You-you're a human. You know it would be best."

Artemis pulled his hand out of Holly's. "I thought you said-"

"I know what I said," Holly cut him off. "But think about it. If I married Trouble, I could take Finn down too, and there would be no danger of him being discovered, no danger to him or you. I couldn't stand for something to happen to either of you. I could lie and say he's…I don't know. Say he's Chix's kid or something." Even as she said the words, they burned her throat, constricted her breathing. She saw the haunted, hurt look in Artemis's eyes and she hated herself for it. She was killing him with her words.

"You-you want to take Finn from me too?" Artemis asked, his breathing labored, like there was a weight on his chest. He was beginning to look panicked, something Holly had never seen before. The pain she was putting him through with just the suggestion of her taking Finn…

Artemis struggled to his feet and backed away from her like she was some sort of monster. He had prepared himself for her rejection, but he had never thought that she wanted to take Finn from him too. He had raised Finn; he belonged more to Artemis than he would ever belong to Holly.

"I won't let you," he whispered.

Holly took a step towards him, but he stepped backwards again.

"Artemis," she pleaded.

Artemis shook his head and continued backing up until he tripped on the edge of the carpet. He stumbled and fell backwards, hitting his head on a table behind him, his head snapping forward. Holly heard a crack and then Artemis was on the floor, his lips parted slightly and his eyes wide and unblinking.

Holly's eyes widened and she stared at Artemis in shock for a moment before running over and kneeling beside him.

"Artemis?" she asked frantically, finding his pulse to make sure that his heart was still beating. It was, but it was a staggering, broken beat. Holly was shocked. What had she done?

She looked around anxiously before calling for the only person who could come to her mind. She needed help. She wasn't running on hot.

"BUTLER!"

Only a minute later Butler broke down the door, gun in hand. "What is it?" he growled. He looked around the room with a frightening expression on his face, then he saw Artemis. He dropped the gun and ran over.

"What happened?"

"He tripped, fell backwards, I think he's broken his neck," Holly sobbed.

"Well, can't you just heal it?" Butler demanded. "There isn't much I can do."

"I would, but I'm not running hot. I didn't think I'd need all my magic anytime soon."

"Well next time, think harder fairy girl," Butler growled, the sight of his charge on the floor making his words steely.

Holly pushed strands of hair out of Artemis's eyes, her tears dropping on his shirt. His neck hadn't broken completely, but the force of the fall had been enough for it to be severe. She sent what magic she had left into his neck, making the bones a little sturdier, but not much. All too soon the sparks fizzled out and Holly felt drained. How could she have been so cruel?


	18. Healing

**Here's Chapter 18! Yay! I'll be able to write lots in the coming days because I have to get surgery on my mouth on Wednesday the 28th. Wah! Trying to keep from having a heart attack. Reviews make scared people happy...hint hint. **

Butler was pacing the room, thinking.

"Do any of your fairy friends know you're here? Could you call them in?"

Holly didn't glance up from Artemis's face. "They won't get here in time," she muttered, closing Artemis's eyes so his face didn't wear such a shocked, pained expression. "Butler, what have I done?"

"You've killed him is what," Butler said, struggling to keep his composure.

He stopped pacing and just stood with his back to Holly and Artemis. There was nothing he could do. He felt so helpless. Holly didn't have enough magic to complete the healing…he should have never let her in the Manor in the first place. It was all her fault.

Then a small voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Is Daddy dead?"

Butler whirled around to see Finn standing in what remained of the door, looking curiously at Artemis. "And who's that girl?" he asked, pointing at Holly.

Holly spared a second to glance at Finn. The boy looked scared, his blue eyes wide. Then a thought penetrated her head. He had magic! Why didn't she think of it before? Just hopefully he had enough…

She set Artemis's head down on the carpet again. "Finn?" she said before Butler could answer him.

"Who are you?" Finn asked. "What did you do to my daddy? Did you hurt him?" The accusation in the boy's eyes hurt Holly, but she knew that if she was in his place, she wouldn't think or say anything different.

"My name is Holly," she said quietly, through tears. "I-I'm a fairy."

Finn gasped. "You're the fairy that Daddy kidnapped. Why are you here? Daddy said that the fairies didn't want to see him anymore."

Holly blinked. Why had Artemis said that? It didn't matter right now.

"Finn, I need you to do me a favor."

Finn narrowed his eyes and looked at Butler. He nodded once. Finn stepped gingerly around the splintered door and over to Holly.

"What?"

"Do you remember the blue sparks that healed your cuts?"

Finn nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I need you to call those blue sparks back," Holly told him, making sure he understood. "Your Daddy is hurt and you can fix him with your blue sparks. Otherwise, he's going to go from here and never come back." Her voice cracked on the last few words. She knew that Artemis would most probably die before her, but not this way, not because of her and what she had said. She desperately hoped that Finn had enough magic…

Finn nodded. He closed his eyes and concentrated on bringing back the blue sparks to fix his daddy. He felt them well up inside him, ready to burst out. He took a deep breath, then, without even thinking about it, whispered, "Heal."

The sparks wreathed around his fingers and flowed down to Artemis's body like a stream of light, absorbing into the skin at his neck, stitching together bone.

Holly held a bated breath. It had to work. There was nothing for her if there wasn't Artemis. She could believe she had even said that stuff and she wanted desperately for him to forgive her. Artemis must have felt this way when he had lied to her all those years ago. Maybe she had been wrong to be so mad at him…

Artemis's body suddenly arched, the magic having done its work. All his joints moved, making sure that everything was in proper working order. After his brain had run a systems check, his body relaxed. His breathing deepened again and when Holly put a hand on his chest, his heart beat was strong. Finn's magic had done its work.

The boy still sat beside his father, but he stared at his hands before looking up at Holly. "It's all gone."

She shook her head, her voice giddy with relief. "Not permanently." She pushed some hair out of Artemis's face.

"Artemis, can you hear me?"

Artemis groaned, bringing one hand to his head before opening his eyes slightly. "What happened?"

Holly laughed, an overwhelming joy filling her. He was alright! He'd been healed again, by their son no less. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged Artemis.

"I take it all back Artemis. I didn't mean it. I would never do that to you." She pulled back so she could see his face.

Artemis winced. "Hang on. Could someone go get me some aspirin?"

Butler nodded and left the room to get his charge some painkiller.

Then Artemis noticed Finn. He looked from him to Holly and back. "Ok Holly, now you really need to explain to me what happened." He pushed himself into a sitting position after Holly released him.


	19. Talking

**Chapter 19 is here! Yay!! This is celebration for my finally being done cursed physics for the rest of my life! Hope you all like it...I know it's short, but I'll post another before the day is out.**

Holly sighed and looked at Finn. "He healed you Artemis. You tripped, fell, broke your neck. It's all my fault. I said things without really thinking about them. I didn't have enough magic - I haven't completed the Ritual in about a year – and so I called Finn. I told him to find his magic inside of him and to heal you with it…and he did it." She looked at Finn for a moment in wonder.

Finn sat quietly, absorbing the information that the fairy was giving.

Artemis looked at his son. "Finn, I have some things to tell you, but could you just give us some time alone first?"

Finn nodded and stood silently.

"And Finn?"

Finn turned back to look at Artemis.

"Thank you," Artemis said quietly.

Finn smiled. "You're welcome Daddy. I'm going to make sure that Butler brings you your aspirin." He turned and ran from the room.

Artemis watched him go, then turned back to Holly. "I remember what you said."

Holly winced. "I-I take back Artemis. I honestly didn't know what I was thinking. I saw the pain it caused you, just the suggestion of taking Finn from you, and I felt like it was my own pain. I could feel it, searing through my chest, breaking my heart, and I didn't want you to feel it too."

Artemis looked at the ground. "I had prepared myself for years for your rejection, but I guess when you suggested taking Finn, all my resolve faded and I realized that no matter how much I hardened my heart to you leaving me, it would never stop it from breaking."

Holly cupped his face in her hands. "Artemis, I will never do that you again. I promise."

Artemis nodded. "I know." Holly let go of him and sat back. Then, "Did you tell Finn?"

"About what? Me being his mother? No. I was too freaked that I might lose you. I didn't even think to shield."

He nodded and leaned against the table leg behind him. "I swear, if I keep breaking bones, I'm going to be held together by nothing but magic anymore." He glanced back at her. She sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him, her auburn hair falling forward, framing her face. Her mismatched eyes stared at the floor, the guilt in them quite legible.

Artemis sighed. "So, are you going to marry Trouble?"

"I don't know if I can," she said, looking up at him. "Fate handed me a way out of this mess, but I don't think I can take it. I love Trouble like a brother. It would be so…awkward. Especially if every night when I got into bed, I thought of you instead," her cheeks turned a light pink and Artemis couldn't help but smile.

"That would be like me marrying Juliet. She's like a sister to me." Artemis ran a hand through his hair. "So then what? You'll leave?" His heart broke, but he forced himself to say it.

Holly shook her head. "I can't do that either Artemis. I'd be so lost."

"How will it work though?"

Holly shrugged. "I don't know. We could always ask Qwan and No. 1 if there's something they can do about it."

Artemis nodded and turned his eyes to the floor. "Are you going to tell Trouble then? About…us? And Finn?"

"I have to. I feel as though it's my responsibility. If I'm going to leave the LEP, they have to know the reason."

"I agree, although I don't want you to be rejected by your own species because of me."

"You've been partially rejected by yours because of me," Holly told him, looking up into his eyes.

"My mother forgave me."

"But your father? Your brothers? They have to know. Everyone has to know. We can't keep it a secret anymore." Holly crawled over closer to him and sat beside him. She leaned her head against his chest, taking some comfort in the sound of his heartbeat. "We can keep the fairy bit a secret from your family though. I don't trust your brothers as much as I trust you."

Artemis put an arm around her, unable to be angry at her anymore for the things she'd done in the past. "Can you stay here tonight?"

She shrugged. "Trouble will probably get mad if I don't give him and answer soon. But I would love too. I don't want to face them all quite yet. Foaly is the only one who knows that Finn is our child and I made him swear not to tell."

Artemis leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too Artemis." She tilted her head up and looked at his lips.

He chuckled and kissed her, pulling her onto his lap. He'd missed her so much, more than he could express with mere words.


	20. Peace

**I love fluff :) Anyway, this chapter is short, but I promised that I would post another before today is over!**

Holly wrapped her arms around his neck, twisting her fingers in his hair. Her heart beat rapidly and her stomach did flip flops. She didn't care if anyone saw them and if they had stayed like that forever, she probably never would.

However, a cough from the doorway pulled them apart.

Butler stood in the frame, a glass of water in one hand and a bottle of aspirin in the other. Finn stood slightly behind one of his massive legs, his nose crinkled up in something akin to disgust.

"Um, you two might want to move to a room with a door." Butler strode into the room, setting the water and aspirin on the table behind Artemis. "There are children present," he whispered as he went back out of the room, dragging Finn along with him.

Artemis smiled and reached behind him for the aspirin. "Do we want to move?"

"Not really, but we probably should. Finn has no idea I'm his mother."

Artemis swallowed the aspirin with the water and set the glass back on the table. Then he stood, lifting Holly in his arms. "Then let's go."

Holly shook her head. "Artemis, I really don't think-"

"Do me a favor and just shut up," Artemis said, carrying her quickly to his room, which had a door, fortunately.

Once they were in the room, Artemis set Holly down.

"You've been working out," she noted.

He nodded. "Butler nagged me about if for quite some time. I must thank him though. If it wasn't for his incessant needling, I would still be wimpy and unable to defend myself."

"Yeah, it was pretty pathetic that I was the one always saving you. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the other way around," she teased, grabbing a pillow off his gigantic bed and throwing it at him.

Artemis caught it, surprisingly. "My reflexes are a bit better now too, I must say."

Holly laughed and flopped down on his bed, looking at the ceiling. "I really need to complete the Ritual. I feel so drained."

Artemis lay down beside her, throwing the pillow back to the head of the bed. "Did Finn use all his magic to heal me?"

Holly nodded. "He'll need to complete the Ritual too if he wants to keep running on hot. If he doesn't care, he doesn't have too."

"Oh, he cares, trust me. The day I told him he was part fairy, he began jumping up and down and yelling it to the entire house. I had to get him to promise never to tell anyone that he had magic."

Holly rolled over onto her side so she was facing Artemis. He turned his head towards her. "You know, I've always wanted to have a big house," she said quietly. "My apartment in Haven is so tiny."

"I know," Artemis muttered. "I couldn't even stand up straight in it."

Holly laughed. She noticed Artemis's clothing choice for the first time. "Are you wearing jeans Artemis?"

He nodded and smiled. "Juliet's idea. She and Butler thought that it was probably not a good idea to walk along the beach front in a suit."

Holly shook her head. "Probably not, but for what it's worth, you look very good."

"Thank you," his smiled faded into a relaxed expression that Holly hadn't seen for five years. The peace in his eyes melted her heart into mush. The Artemis she remembered was always tense and deep in thought, lines creasing his forehead. This Artemis was relaxed and peaceful. It was that moment that convinced Holly that no matter what, she was going to stay with Artemis, whether that meant she would die earlier or have to take growth hormones; it didn't matter.

Artemis pulled her close to him, wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her auburn hair. Holly smiled and closed her eyes, content for the first time in years.


	21. Revelations

**Thanks to all those who wished me luck with my surgery. It went fine and I'm feeling great. Here's chapter 21! Wow...**

A knock at the door jolted Artemis awake. Holly lay in his arms, still sleeping peacefully. They must have dozed off because it was growing dark outside, the sun almost gone below the horizon.

He carefully maneuvered his arm out from under her without waking her, then got up and went to open the door.

Butler stood at the door. He looked over Artemis's rumpled shirt before saying, "Finn has been wondering when you're going to come say good night Artemis."

Artemis sighed. "I dozed off." He straightened his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair a few times. "Would you mind watching Holly until I get back? I don't want someone wandering in and seeing her."

Butler nodded and entered the room. Artemis hurried down the hall to Finn's room. The door was open and the boy sat on his bed expectantly. He jumped up when he saw Artemis and ran over to hug him.

"I thought you forgot about me Daddy."

Artemis shook his head, feeling only a bit guilty. "I would never forget about you." He led the boy into his room.

Finn hopped back onto his bed. "Is Holly gone?"

Artemis blinked. "How did you know that was Holly?"

"She told me," Finn stated as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "So, did she go?"

Artemis shook his head. "No. She's going to spend the night."

Finn frowned. "Why?"

Artemis cocked his head. "Because I invited her to."

"But doesn't she have to go back to her fairyland?"

"She's staying the night Finn. What is wrong with that?" Artemis asked, completely confused about his son's hostile attitude to Holly.

"She was kissing you," Finn muttered.

"_That's_ what bothering you?" Artemis asked incredulously.

"Yes. What about my Mom? Won't she be mad at you Daddy? If she finds out?"

Artemis laughed and Finn glared at him. Artemis shook his head. "She won't be mad Finn, because Holly is your mother. I suppose that I should have told you a little earlier."

Finn blinked, looking relieved and happy. "Holly is my Mom?"

"Yes. You haven't seen her since you were one and a half."

"Why not?" Finn queried.

Artemis sighed. "She had a job to do."

"What kind of job?"

"She's a police officer. She…" How could he put this so Finn would understand? "She didn't have time." It was a lie, but how could he explain the reason behind Holly's actions to a six year old?

"I want to be a fairy police officer," Finn said with conviction.

Artemis laughed. "I don't think you can do that Finn."

"Why not?" the boy whined.

"Because you have to have been born down there, be a pure-bred fairy and actually live down there, underground where the fairies live."

"Ok, I change my mind," Finn said quickly. "I don't want to be a fairy police officer. I don't want to live underground. I like it above ground."

"Me too," Artemis agreed. "Now you go to sleep." He tucked Finn in, then got up and turned off the light. "Good night Finn."

"Night Daddy," Finn said, already sounding sleepy.

Artemis smiled and closed the door, walking quickly back to his room.

Holly and Butler sat on his bed talking. They looked up as he entered the room.

"Butler was just telling me that the sun's already set," Holly said, glancing out the window. "I guess we fell asleep."

"No doubt," Artemis said. "Butler, could you go prepare the guest room?"

Butler nodded. "Of course Artemis."

"Thank you old friend." Artemis dipped his head as Butler left the room. He was to be forever in debt to the manservant, he knew this.

He looked at Holly. "I think it would be best for you to sleep in the guest room tonight."

Holly loathed the thought of being apart from him, but nodded. "Agreed. I don't think it would help things if someone came barging in here to find a fairy in your bed."

Artemis shook his head. "No, it would not." He paced the short distance to his bed and sat down beside her. "Butler will be back in a moment to take you to the guest room."

Holly opened her mouth to say something but Artemis put a finger over her lips.

"I know that you know where it is, but I don't care."

Holly pouted. "Of course not."

He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head towards his face. "Give me the benefit of the doubt Holly." He pressed his lips to hers.

Holly felt herself melt again. If they did end up getting married, Artemis would always get his way, she was sure of it.

Only seconds later, Butler knocked on the door, giving the two ample time to stop kissing, before he pushed it open. "Come on Holly."

Holly got off the bed reluctantly. She looked back at Artemis. "I'm going to leave early in the morning so none of your family catches me. I'll probably be gone before you wake up, so don't worry. I'll talk to No. 1 and Qwan, then call you, alright?"

Artemis nodded. "Good night Holly."

Holly smiled. "Good night Arty."


	22. Saying Goodbye

**Well, I have mixed feelings about this chapter. I like it but I don't. Please tell me what you think. I'm so close to 100 reviews! Please vote in the poll on my profile page too. It pertains to this story and I need and answer before I can continue!  
**

Holly woke before dawn even broke over Ireland. It would take at least a few hours to get back underground without being beat up by security again.

She slipped out of the gigantic guest room bed reluctantly. She had had a fantastic sleep, she assumed that the high quality bed had something to do with it, along with that fact that she had made a decision and no one could turn her from it now. She entered the en suite bathroom to fix her hair and brush her teeth with the toothbrush and toothpaste that Artemis had left for her.

After she was finished, Holly opened the door silently and slid into the hallway. She shielded and glanced around, making sure that the hall was deserted. She ran to Artemis's room, entered it quietly and closed the door behind her. He was sprawled out on the bed, his raven hair tousled. But he looked peaceful.

Holly walked over to the bed, her footsteps light. She perched on the bed side for a moment, stroking his hair, running her fingers through it. She didn't know how she had lasted for five years without the Mud Man. _Her_ Mud Man. She smiled, kissed the side of his face, then got off the bed and ran to the window. She strapped on her wings, opened the window silently and jumped out into the crisp morning air. She would enjoy living on the surface, she thought, as she pulled the window shut again and flew off to Tara, to the shuttle port.

After battling her way through numerous security gnomes and stations filled with angry pedestrians, Holly finally got back to Police Plaza. She knew that Trouble would have an earful for her as commander for being away all night, and as a friend when she told him about Artemis, but she couldn't care less. In about twenty four hours it probably wouldn't matter anyway.

Holly entered her office at Headquarters, but was, unfortunately, spotted and reported to Commander Kelp. Holly was soon called to the Commander's office.

She entered the office with anticipation, wondering how mad the entire fairy race would be at her when she revealed her decision.

"Captain," Trouble said. "Where were you last night?" he demanded.

Holly debated whether to tell a lie, but decided against it. "Fowl Manor."

Trouble blinked. It clearly wasn't the answer he had been expecting. "As in Artemis Fowl's Manor?"

"Yes."

"Why were you there Holly?" Trouble asked, momentarily forgetting his position as commander and hers as captain.

Holly sighed. This certainly wouldn't be easy. "Trouble, I'm going to have to…to reject your proposal."

Trouble's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because…because I love Artemis Fowl." Holly looked down at the floor. She hated that she had to do this to the elf she thought of as a brother.

"You-you love a MUD MAN?" Trouble shouted, startling Holly.

"I'm sorry Trouble."

"Commander Kelp," Trouble said steely.

"I'm sorry Commander. I-we…we had a kid. I have to help him and I don't think I could survive without him truthfully."

"A kid?" Holly didn't think Trouble could get anymore bewildered. "You SLEPT with a Mud Man? When?"

"Six years ago," Holly muttered.

"Why didn't I know about this?" Trouble asked, his face beginning to take on the same reddish complexion that had always tinged Commander Root's face.

"I didn't want to endanger Artemis or Finn."

"Or lose your job," Trouble said, a threat tainting his voice. "I can't believe it. You would let down your entire race, all your friends, for the sake of a Mud Man?"

"I can make my own decisions Commander. And my decision is to join Artemis Fowl on the surface."

"Then you can also have the satisfaction of being fired," Trouble said angrily. "You can leave now Miss Short," sneered Trouble, crossing arms and lifting his feet onto his desk. "Or should I say Mrs. Fowl?"

As sad as she was that Trouble was so angry at her, Holly couldn't help but smile at the title. "Thank you Commander," she said, giving an elegant bow and a sarcastic salute. She turned and left the office, a bittersweet cloud of emotions invading her.

She burst into Foaly's office, still confused as to whether she was happy or sad.

"I've made a decision Foaly," she stated, causing the centaur to leap three feet in the air, all four legs off the ground. And for those of you who don't know, that is a nearly impossible feat for a centaur.

"You could really try knocking sometimes Holly," he whined, inspecting his hooves to make sure they weren't cracked.

Holly shrugged. "I don't think it will matter anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I got fired," Holly said, unable to keep the laugh out of her voice.

"WHAT?" Foaly yelled. "And this funny since when?"

"Since I decided that I'm going to join Artemis on the surface."

Foaly froze. "You're leaving the Lower Elements? Haven?"

Holly nodded. "I feel kind of bad though. See, Trouble proposed to me yesterday."

Foaly blinked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause I was so lost that I had to go ask Artemis. I stayed at the Manor over night."

Foaly sighed. "Are you sure this isn't a bit too rash?"

"I can't leave Artemis. If I tried now, I'd probably fall apart. Besides, I spent two days thinking about it constantly. You'll come visit, right?" Holly gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I will, but what are you going to do about the height difference? The LIFE-SPAN difference?"

Holly shrugged. "I think I'll go ask No. 1 what he can do. He's a super powerful demon warlock. He should be able to make me taller."

Foaly sighed. "I guess you know what you want Holly."

Holly nodded with conviction. It _would_ work, she would make sure of it.

"Foaly, I get to _live_ on the surface. I never have to breathe recycled air again. I get to see the sun rise in the morning and the stars come out at night. Doesn't that sound worth it to you?"

Foaly nodded reluctantly. "More than worth it. I'm just sad that you're leaving."

Holly went up to him and hugged him. "I won't be that far away. You can always call me on my communicator too." She showed him the ring. "I'm not even going to ask if you can connect to it, because I know you can."

Foaly hugged her tightly. "Make sure that I get invited to your wedding, alright?"

Holly nodded. "You will." She released the centaur and started towards the door. "You know Foaly, you're probably the only one down here that I'm really going to miss, besides Qwan and No. 1, so make sure you take care of yourself."

He nodded and waved. "By Holly. I'll be checking in on you, by the way. Make sure Fowl isn't doing anything."

Holly laughed. "Bye Foaly." She stepped out of the office and closed the door. This time she actually felt more acute sadness wash over her. She would miss Foaly. He had better call her often.

Next stop, time to see No. 1 and Qwan.


	23. Talking to the Warlocks

**You people have to vote in the poll! It concerns Holly's height. Please vote! And review this too...that would be nice. Hehe.**

Holly found the two demon warlocks in a classroom. Qwan was still teaching things to No. 1, even after all these years. The little demon picked things up quickly, but he had a lot to learn.

When he saw Holly, No. 1 waddled over and gave her a big hug. "Holly!"

Holly embraced the little gray warlock. "I haven't seen you for a while No. 1. I think you might have grown," she said, looking up at the demon.

No. 1 grinned. "Do you think?"

Holly nodded and glanced at Qwan. "Nice to see you Qwan."

"Nice to see you too, but what brings you down here Holly?"

"Well, I have a dilemma," Holly said, sitting on a table. "I'm going to marry Artemis Fowl."

Qwan's eyes went wide and No. 1 jumped up and down. "I'd better be invited to the wedding."

"You will be," Holly assured him. "But first I need to know, is it possible for me to be made taller, considering I'm about half of Artemis's height? This is my dilemma. Along with the fact that I'm going to outlive him by a few centuries unless something is done to his or my lifespan."

"I can make you taller Holly," No. 1 offered.

Holly smiled. "Thanks No.1, but that's less of a problem than the life-span thing." She turned to Qwan. "Anything you can do?"

Qwan looked thoughtful for a moment. "I could probably whip something up, although I couldn't guarantee that he – or you - wouldn't die from it."

Holly winced. "That isn't really preferable. Is there anything you could do with magic? Maybe something you could teach No. 1?"

Qwan rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "There is one spell…it hasn't been done in centuries, but it has always been handed down; the Spell of Life. I'm really not sure who came up with it since it has only ever been used once in the history of the People. It gives a human a fairy's lifespan."

Holly grinned. "Perfect. I prefer that over shrinking _my_ lifespan. I don't really want to die in fifty years."

"Obviously there will still be danger of something going wrong, but I'll teach it to No. 1 since he's more powerful than I am." No. 1 smiled shyly at the compliment.

Holly nodded. "I'll take the risk and I'll ask Artemis if he minds."

"Does this mean that you're getting married?" blurted out No. 1 suddenly.

Holly blushed a little and smiled. "I guess so."

No. 1 jumped up and down as much as his stubby legs would allow. "Am I invited?"

"Of course you will be," Holly said, laughing. "He hasn't actually proposed to me yet though."

Qwan smiled. "Come No. 1. It seems I have a new spell to teach you. I will contact you when he's ready Holly."

No. 1 waved goodbye to Holly and followed his teacher into one of the different classrooms which was actually sound-proof, bullet-proof and most importantly, magic-proof.

Holly waved back to the little warlock before leaving the warlock building. She smiled a little to herself as she shut the door. She was going to be married to Artemis. It was what she'd been hoping for since she first fell in love with him.

Even though she had lost her job and most of the respect she had gained over the years, he heart was light. She would go to Artemis now and wait for Qwan to call her. They would be transported to Fowl Manor where they would perform the spell on Artemis to give him the life-span of a fairy, _and_ they would make her taller. She owed them. Maybe Qwan could marry them and No. 1 could walk her down the aisle or something. She'd figure it out later. But she had a Mud Man to see again. She was anxious to get back to him.


	24. Evidence

**Well, here is chapter 24...Wow! This story is going way fast. Hope you guys like it. By the way, I think that I'm going make Holly around five feet tall or maybe five foot two. How does that sound to you guys?**

Artemis woke that morning feeling better than he had in years. Finn was jumping on his bed, occasionally stepping on Artemis's leg. But it didn't bother him. Most things seldom bothered him anymore. Besides, the boy couldn't have been more than fifty pounds, it didn't really hurt.

Artemis glanced out the window, noticing that it was slightly ajar as the sun slanted through it. Holly must have gone out that way. Artemis looked at his clock and saw the number ten glaring at him. Ten o'clock. He rarely slept in.

He smiled and suddenly grabbed the unsuspecting Finn's leg and pulled him over. Finn yelped and landed on his back on the bed. He glared at Artemis for a moment, then started laughing.

"I thought you were still asleep Daddy. Butler told me to come wake you up. Breakfast was ready two hours ago. I already ate."

Artemis laughed too. "I guess I was tired. And you certainly did wake me. I will tell Butler that you did your job well."

Finn grinned and scrambled off the bed and out of the room.

Artemis smiled and got out of bed. He wondered if Holly was back in the Lower Elements yet. He was sure that it didn't usually take that long to get there, a few hours at the most.

Artemis combed his hair through with his fingers. The beginnings of a beard were growing on his chin. He supposed he would have to shave again. Artemis didn't like beards. They reminded him of scruffy, undistinguished woodsmen who didn't have a shred of decency or efficiency about them. Artemis wasn't one to stereotype, but sometimes his thoughts _were_ generalizations. He was sure that there were some very dignified men with beards, just not any that he knew, and Artemis Fowl knew a lot of people.

But enough about beards. Artemis went to the bathroom to shave the beard in question, then he got dressed and descended the stairs to get some breakfast before Butler decided he was going to put it away.

Butler stood in the kitchen, hacking away at some vegetable, no doubt getting a head start on lunch. Artemis felt sorry for the vegetable. Butler looked up when his charge entered.

"I was beginning to worry that you'd been assassinated Artemis. You've never slept past eight in your whole life, except for maybe a few days when you were especially tired."

"I supposed I was especially tired this time Butler," Artemis stated, picking up a plate of food and shoving it in the microwave. "I didn't get to sleep for a few hours last night.

Butler nodded understandingly. "Is Holly gone?"

"Yes. Early, as she said." The microwave beeped and Artemis removed his plate. He began to eat standing up, too absorbed in his thoughts to sit down.

"Everything alright Artemis?" Butler asked, noticing Artemis's distraction.

He nodded absently. "I was just wondering what in the world, or below it, no pun intended, would possess Trouble Kelp to propose to Holly. And what would stop her from accepting?"

"Trouble probably decided to take his chance while he still could. I know he didn't know about you and Holly or Finn, but my guess is that Holly was acting a bit distant and he decided to try. You can always ask Holly what she thinks when she comes back." Butler paused. "As for what would stop her from accepting, you know very well why she turned him down. She's in love with you Artemis."

Coming from a sixty some year old bodyguard who had never married, Artemis thought this simple statement was rather insightful.

"But _why_? After all I ever put her through, I would think that she would prefer to just stay with Trouble. At least she wouldn't have to get any alterations done, there wouldn't be any complications and it wouldn't be practically _illegal_."

Butler sighed. "Only she can explain this to you Artemis. The female mind is particularly complicated. They have so many different emotions and reasons for doing what they do. Ask her when she gets back."

Artemis shook his head. "This is so…difficult."

"No one ever said falling in love with a fairy would be easy. There isn't even a book written on it," Butler stated.

"Maybe I could write the first one," Artemis muttered darkly.

"Brighten up Artemis. You should at least be happy that she _did_ pick you."

Artemis frowned for a minute more, the creases in his forehead prominent, then wiped the expression off his face. "How right you are old friend. I shouldn't even be thinking about this."

Butler nodded. "There we go. Now you should do something useful, like grab me that bag of potatoes over there."

When he was twelve, Artemis would have seethed at Butler asking him to do something. Now he just laughed and got the potatoes for Butler before leaving the room and heading up to his study. Just more evidence on how much Artemis Fowl really had changed.


	25. More Proposals

**I don't remember if I already asked this, but those of you who didn't answer: Does five foot two sound like a good height for Holly? Maybe five feet? Tell me!**

Holly burst into Artemis's study, forgetting that she was still shielded. To Artemis it would have appeared that the door had swung open on its own.

He sighed, not unduly worried about it. It was probably just Myles and Beckett being annoying again.

"Beckett, Myles, stop playing with my door," Artemis yelled.

The door slammed itself shut just then and Holly materialized in front of it.

"Sorry, I forgot to turn off my shield." She smiled.

"Holly," Artemis said, unable to keep for smiling also. It was ridiculous to Artemis that he had missed her when she'd only been gone for half a day, but when he saw her, he felt as though some missing piece of him had been returned. He shuddered at the lame analogy.

"I thought that Myles and Beckett were attempting some stupid joke or some sort. They've tried it before, trust me."

Holly nodded. "I do." She walked over to Artemis, sat on his lap and nestled her head into his shirt. "Trouble's mad at me."

He put his arms around her. "That was to be expected."

"But it still hurt. I love him like a brother. I really would have been the most awkward thing to marry him, but I hate to hurt him that way."

Artemis sighed. "I know. I hope he wasn't unnecessarily rude to you."

Holly shrugged. "What difference would it make? He hates me, thinks I'm a disgrace to the People."

"But you aren't," Artemis told her. "You've saved them numerous times from certain destruction."

"With your help," Holly reminded him.

"That isn't the point. You aren't a disgrace, you're a hero and it doesn't matter what Trouble thinks anyway. You made a decision. You can't go back on it now."

"You're biased," Holly accused teasingly.

"Be that as it may, I don't believe that you want to go back on it anyway."

Holly shook her head, splaying her hand over Artemis's chest where his heart beat steadily. "I really don't. I actually feel ridiculously free. I get to live on the surface Artemis," she said, looking up at his face. "It's every fairy's dream. Which reminds me. No. 1 and Qwan know how to make me taller and at this moment, they're working on extending your lifespan."

Artemis nodded. "Good to know. I wasn't keen on shortening your lifespan."

Holly smiled. "I wasn't either." She thought for a moment, playing absently with one of the buttons on his shirt. "Do you think I'll look weird as a Mud Person?"

Artemis frowned. "That's a terrible question to ask."

"I'm curious what you think."

"Does this mean you'll be losing your magic?" Artemis asked, catching the Mud Person phrase.

"No, I think I get to keep it. I mean, do you think I'll look weird being taller?"

Artemis shook his head. "Of course you won't look weird."

"Are you just saying that?"

Artemis shook his head. "Not a chance. You'll still be just as beautiful as you are now."

Holly blushed and looked down. "Thanks."

Artemis smiled. "I don't care what you look like Holly. You'll always be mine, no matter what." He leaned down and kissed her gently.

Holly reached up and grasped the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. She held on with one hand and wound the other through his raven black hair.

Minutes later they broke apart, both breathing a bit harder.

"I should have come back so much sooner," Holly muttered. "I'm sorry."

Artemis shook his head slightly. "It's alright. I'd rather that you came later than not at all."

Holly smiled. "Me too."

Artemis reached into one of his pockets and withdrew a small, black, velvet box. He flipped open the lid. Inside sat a ring. The white gold band shone and the single, but large diamond that sat in the middle of the band sparkled brightly despite the dim lighting.

Artemis looked Holly in the eyes, seeing her hazel one and his blue one looking back at him.

"Holly Short, I promise to love you and look after you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"


	26. Complete

**Chapter 26! Woo! I'm going to make Holly 5'2" for all you who care. Please review me though, I'm feeling a bit neglected...**

Holly watched him for a moment before her face broke out in a grin. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Of course I will!"

Artemis hugged her back before she let go of him. He took the ring carefully out of the box and slid it onto her third finger on her left hand. It fit perfectly, of course.

"I'm kind of hoping that it will grow with you, but if it doesn't, it will have to be resized. Until then though..."

Holly held up her hand, inspecting the ring. "It's so beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. I figured that twenty diamonds would be nineteen too many for you." Artemis smiled, not having to think too hard to come up with the reaction he would have gotten if he had given Holly said twenty diamond ring.

Holly nodded. "Absolutely. I would have thrown it out the window…or maybe just refused it, although I wouldn't have refused the proposal. By the way, Foaly, No. 1 and Qwan have all insisted that they're coming to the wedding."

Artemis sighed. "They might be a tad difficult to disguise, but I guess they'd crash it or something if they _weren't_ invited."

"Yeah, probably," Holly agreed, moving her left hand back and fourth, watching the reflections from the diamond sparkle off the ceiling.

Artemis smiled. "I really am glad you like it. I was a bit worried that you wouldn't."

Holly kissed his cheek. "Even if I had hated it, I wouldn't have said anything. I'm never going to hurt you again Artemis, even over something as trivial as a ring."

"As am I not going to hurt you," Artemis replied.

Holly nodded. "It's a good thing we've come to an agreement." She laughed suddenly. "I can't believe it Artemis. I'm free from the LEP, from their ridiculous rules and regulations. I'm free of recycled air and artificial sun. And I'm free from being without you."

Artemis kissed her. "That _is_ a cause for celebration, isn't it?" he murmured against her lips.

Holly nodded, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. Sure she would miss the People and the Lower Elements, but this solution had more upsides than drawbacks. She pushed all rational thoughts out of her mind and kissed Artemis back.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Holly groaned as they broke apart yet again.

"You really need to put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on your door or something," she muttered, hopping off his lap reluctantly so he could get the door.

Artemis nodded in agreement and stood, pacing over to the door. He opened it swiftly only to find Finn standing in front of it.

The boy hugged Artemis's leg and looked up at him.

"Can we go back to the beach now Daddy?"

Artemis glanced back at Holly who stood in a spot that wasn't visible from where Finn stood.

"Um…" Artemis was horrified that he had said 'um', but that would have to wait for later.

"Please Daddy?" Finn begged.

"I think there's someone that I need to formally introduce you to first." Artemis led Finn into the room and closed the door behind him.

Holly sat on a black leather chair in the corner. Finn looked at her curiously.

"You again!" he exclaimed. He appeared to be thinking very hard. "Holly," he said, suddenly remembering. "You're my mommy."

Holly looked at Artemis with surprise. He shrugged.

Holly jumped off the chair and went over to Finn. She stood only two inches taller than him. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm your mom."

"I'm almost as tall as you," Finn stated.

Holly laughed. "Yes, you are, but that will be fixed soon."

Finn nodded, accepting this piece of information as if it wasn't the most ridiculous thing someone could say.

Artemis looked down at Finn.

"You're mother and I are going to get married and the fairies will use magic to make her taller," he explained.

Finn smiled. "So now I'll have a mommy _and_ a daddy!" He seemed pleased with this information. Apparently talk of fairies and weddings didn't disconcert him like it might some people.

Holly nodded and blinked in surprise when Finn suddenly hugged her. She hugged him back, smiling, and looked up at Artemis.

"Thank you," she mouthed, without actually saying the words.

Artemis nodded, thrilled that their little family was soon to be complete.


	27. It Worked

**Sorry it's been so long! I had to get braces on Friday, amongst other things, so I've had no time. But here it finally is. Chapter 27! Enjoy.**

Two days later, Holly's communicator rang. She was sitting in Artemis's study, looking through internet catalogues for wedding dresses while Artemis and Finn walked along the beachfront again. Holly decided that she wasn't going to go, due to her diminutive stature. She could go with them soon enough.

She picked up the communicator and answered it. No. 1's grinning face filled up the entire screen. Holly guessed that he was holding his communicator a bit too close to his face. She didn't care.

"I can do it Holly," No. 1 exclaimed happily. "We tested it on a swear toad…"

"Which was not the best idea!" Holly heard Qwan yell from the background.

"And it worked," No. 1 finished, unperturbed by Qwan's interruption.

Holly smiled. "That's great! How soon can you come up?"

She watched the communicator trade hands. At least Qwan didn't hold it so close to his face that he was breathing on it.

"We need to get a visa, but I think Foaly could pull a few strings. I'm going to say somewhere around eight this evening."

Holly almost began bouncing up and down on Artemis's expensive leather chair.

"That's great! Which reminds me. I talked to Artemis and we'd like you to marry us."

Qwan blinked. "Me? Why?"

"Because we couldn't think of someone who would be better suited for the job. And I sort of owe you for putting up with No. 1 long enough to teach him that spell."

"It wasn't that bad. I put up with him everyday anyway."

"Hey!" No. 1 yelled from the background.

"Regardless," Holly said, "We want you."

Qwan dipped his head. "Then I am honored. Have you set a date?"

"We figured as soon as possible. It's tentatively set for a week from now." Holly smiled, almost giddy with this fact.

Qwan nodded. "We'll be up before the day is out. We'll see you then Holly."

Holly nodded and closed the communicator. She knew that everything would work out. She grabbed the human phone off the desk and rang up Artemis's cell phone.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"They did it Artemis. No. 1 can expand your lifespan. They're coming up now; Qwan said that they'd be here by nightfall."

"Excellent." Holly could here the smile in his voice. "Did you ask him about the wedding?"

"Yes, and he's agreed."

"I knew he would. Have you found a dress yet?"

"There's so many. I can't really pick," Holly confided, scrolling down yet another page of dresses.

"We can always get you something custom made," Artemis offered.

"No, it's ok. I'll find something. There are a few that I've seen…"

"Make sure you get something you like," Artemis said. "I don't want you to get something and hate it…Finn, don't throw that!"

Holly laughed. "Maybe I should let you go Artemis. Sounds like Finn is getting a bit restless."

"He's throwing rocks at seagulls," Artemis said, sounding slightly guilty before yelling, "Finn, put that rock down and come back here right now!"

"I'm going now Artemis. See you when you get back."

"Yes. Find something you like."

"I'll see what I can do. Bye."

"Bye. Love you."

Holly hung up the phone and smiled. She certainly wouldn't have been this happy if she had agreed to marry Trouble. She looked at the ring on her left hand and leaned back in the chair. She liked this decision more with every passing day.


	28. Changing

**I'm not going to post anything for the next few days because I'll be away, but hopefully while I'm gone I'll have a chance to write more! Anyway, Chapter 28! Wow, this thing is getting long... Oh, and I'm going to put the link for the picture of Holly's dress on my profile page...I think it's pretty ^^  
**

In Holly's mind, eight o'clock was _way_ to long to wait, but she didn't have a choice. At least it gave her ample time to pick out a dress. She'd decided on one, hoping Artemis would like it.

It was strapless, the top decorated with an intricate silver design. The skirt was made of an almost silky material, the train extending behind. The top layer of the skirt was crossed over to the side. She hoped she wouldn't trip on the train though. That would certainly be embarrassing.

She checked the clock, impatient for No. 1 and Qwan to arrive. It was seven o'clock by now and Artemis was downstairs finger painting with Finn. She couldn't wait to be human sized so that she could show herself in the rest of the house and do things with Artemis and Finn.

She absently massaged the tip of one of her ears as she shut the lid on the laptop. Artemis had insisted that she keep her pointed ears, he said they made her who she was and whether she was taller or not, her ears would always define her from everyone else. She had resisted, as usual, but her resolve hadn't lasted long. Artemis, being Artemis, he had changed her mind in a matter or minutes. He always had better arguments than her. She sighed.

"Holly, are you ok?"

Holly whirled around on the chair to see No. 1 and Qwan standing by the door. She had no idea how they'd gotten in since the door was locked, but she really didn't care. She jumped off the chair and ran over to give No. 1 a hug. She then looked at Qwan.

"I thought you weren't going to be here for another hour," she exclaimed.

"Eight o'clock was just a guess," Qwan said, setting down a bag that he had been carrying on an old ornate chest.

Holly smiled. "Do you want to see my dress?"

No. 1 nodded. "Oh, yes please!"

Holly went back over to the desk and opened the laptop. She called up the internet page and pointed at it.

"That one."

No. 1 grinned. "You'll look so pretty."

Holly blushed. "Let's just hope Artemis thinks so."

"Let's hope Artemis thinks what?"

Holly slammed the lid down. "Nothing."

"She hopes that you think she'll look pretty in the dress she picked," No. 1 offered.

Holly shot him a glare.

Artemis chuckled and closed the door so no one would see the fairies. "Of course I will. You could wear whatever you wanted and I'd still think you were beautiful."

Holly's blush deepened. "Well, you'll just have to wait. You can't see it yet. But you have to pay for it," she added at the end.

"It'll be worth it," Artemis said. Then he turned to Qwan and No. 1. "Holly told me you wouldn't be here until eight."

Qwan rolled his eyes. "It was an approximation."

"I see. Well, let's get on with it then. I don't have forever. I have a grumpy son downstairs with tubes of finger-paint."

Holly laughed. Qwan nodded.

"Alright then, No. 1 can do Holly first."

No. 1 nodded and stepped towards Holly.

"I want to keep my ears," Holly stated, rather unnecessarily, as No. 1 wasn't intending to get rid of them anyway.

He nodded again and closed his eyes, massaging his temples to get the magic flowing. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing. He touched two fingers to Holly's forehead.

"Grow," he said loudly and the magic snaked down his arms. It danced along, wreathing Holly's head in a halo of light. The light moved all down her body, sinking in at random intervals. Artemis watched until the intensity became too much and he had to close his eyes. Then there was a blinding flash and the light was gone.

Artemis looked back at Holly and he breath caught. In place of the three foot elf stood a beautiful 5'2" woman. She was slender as a willow tree and her auburn hair fell to her middle back, pointed ears sticking through, making her look like a tree spirit or some other such thing. Her mismatched eyes danced as she caught a glance of herself in a full length mirror across the room. She turned her gaze to Artemis and smiled. The corners of his mouth twitched up before a grin broke out on his face.

Holly ran over to him and hugged him. He lifted her off the floor and spun her in a circle before setting her back down.

"I told you that you wouldn't look weird taller."

"I'm just glad my clothes grew with me," Holly laughed.

Artemis smiled and kissed her.

Holly marveled at how much easier it was. They didn't have to be sitting or lying down anymore. She didn't need her wings. She could just stand on her toes…

"Alright Artemis, your turn," Qwan said, smiling.


	29. Life Extension

**So, here is Chapter 29...I know that a few of you are upset that Holly got taller, but I couldn't really see another way, so, sorry. **

Artemis broke away from Holly and walked over to No. 1.

"Where do you need me?" he asked.

Holly was surprised. She thought he'd at least want to know the safety precautions first.

No. 1's eyes were still glowing as he pointed to the spot where Holly had stood before. Artemis went.

"This is a slightly more specialized procedure," Qwan began.

"What do I have to do?" Artemis asked, sounding slightly exasperated. He'd had more than enough magical experience to know that when a fairy said that, he would have to do something ridiculous.

"Well, we need you to take your clothes off…again."

Artemis sighed. "Very well." He pulled off his shirt and pants quickly, handing them to Holly. She bundled them up and held them.

"There," Artemis said, glad that Foaly wasn't watching this time.

"I suppose you're keeping those regardless," Qwan said, motioning to Artemis's boxers. Artemis nodded.

"Alright No. 1," Qwan said, ready to instruct the young warlock through the process.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Qwan and No. 1 were already into the spell and couldn't break it. This left Holly to get the door. She sighed and opened the door slightly, slipping out so that whoever was outside wouldn't see what was going on in the study.

Angeline blinked when she saw Holly emerge, holding Artemis's clothes.

"Um, hello. Have we met before?" Angeline asked, trying to ignore her son's clothes in the arms of a girl she didn't know.

Holly shook her head, glancing down at the clothes before a blush formed on her cheeks and she threw them to the side.

"Uh, no. Holly Short," Holly said, thrusting out her hand and tucking her now long hair behind one pointed ear. "That," she said, pointing to the clothes, "is not what you think it is."

Angeline ignored the last comment. "Holly Short? As in the elf Holly Short who is my grandson's mother who hasn't been here for the last five years?"

Holly placed her outstretched hand behind her back. "Yes, and look, I'm sorry about that, but I had a job and-"

Angeline cut her off. "Don't worry about that dear. I'm just glad that I finally get to meet you. Glad to see you're finally here, although, I was so sure that Arty said that you were only three feet tall…"

"I was, until about five minutes ago. I hope you don't mind, but there are two warlocks in there increasing Artemis's lifespan because we're going to get married," she said hurriedly, holding up her left hand so Angeline could see the ring. She figured the sooner she got it out, the better it was going to be later.

Angeline blinked. "Oh. Is that why…" she motioned at the clothes.

"Yeah," Holly muttered. "But don't worry about him, they're totally trust-worthy. They probably won't kill him…I'll kill _them_ if they do," Holly said, mumbling the last part under her breath.

Angeline nodded, looking a bit spooked. "Alright. Well, I guess I'll leave you to it," she muttered, not really knowing what else to say.

Holly shrugged and gathered up Artemis's clothes as Angeline walked back down the hall, looking very confused. Her hair fell over her face when she bent down. She frowned, thinking that she was going to have to cut it again.

She entered the study again to find that the spell was already over. Artemis stood in the same spot, looking the same but with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. He turned to Holly when she opened the door.

"Can I have my clothes please?"

She nodded. "Uh, yeah." She hurried over, handing Artemis his clothes. As he put them back on, she looked at Qwan and No. 1 who were packing up their bags.

"So, did it work?"

"Of course!" Qwan exclaimed. "Can't you tell?"

Holly shook her head. "Not really."

"Oh, right, you aren't a warlock. No. 1 and I can feel that his lifespan has more than tripled." No. 1 nodded as if for emphasis.

Holly studied Artemis as he replaced his beige jacket. "He does look slightly younger," Holly observed, noticing that some of the creases on his forehead had disappeared.

Artemis frowned. "I would appreciate it if you all stopped talking about me like I'm not here. And, in answer to your question Holly, I can feel inside of me that something's different. I feel like I did when I was nineteen or twenty. Incredible." He turned to Qwan and No. 1. "Thank you. I appreciate this more that you know." He looked at Holly briefly, a smile flickering across his face.

Qwan dipped his head. "Anytime. Now we have to get going before we get stuck on the surface overnight."

Artemis nodded. Holly gave No. 1 a hug.

"We'll be sending out wedding invitations in no time," Holly told them as they gathered their bags.

"Butler," Artemis spoke into a cell phone, having called Butler. "Could you please escort No. 1 and Qwan to their transportation?"

"Right away Artemis," replied Butler's faint voice.

Artemis shut his phone and looked at the two demons. "Thank you again. Butler will be up shortly to escort you out. Have a safe trip."

Qwan nodded his thanks before Butler came out and led them from the room with a knowing wink at Artemis.

Once the door was closed, Artemis turned to Holly. "I believe that we had some unfinished business," he said quietly, smiling.

Holly grinned as she stretched up – the distance significantly less than before – to kiss Artemis and wrap her arms around his neck.

_Definitely worth it…_


	30. Haircutting

**This is just a random filler chapter that I had fun writing. These next few will just be random events leading up to the wedding...Enjoy :)**

"Personally, I don't think I should be doing this," Artemis muttered, holding the scissors like they carried the plague.

"Oh Artemis," Holly said, laughing. "I don't mind."

"I know you don't," Artemis stated, placing the scissors on the bathroom counter. "That's what concerns me. The wedding is in two days and you want _me_ to cut your hair."

"All you have to do is chop it off. It annoys me this long."

"I like it," Artemis mumbled.

"I know. That's another reason I want you to cut it. You can't have _everything_ you ask for."

"Please just let me call a hairstylist. They'd know much better what to do than I do." Artemis pulled out his cell phone and glanced around the bathroom for a phone book. There was none to be found, obviously.

Holly rolled her eyes. "The great Artemis Fowl calling for help. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

Artemis shook his head and went into the main bedroom to find his phone book. "This is something I never learned how to do, like cooking. I don't trust myself. I may chop off your ear." He located a phone book, looked up a hair stylist, called them and asked if they made house calls. When the person on the other end said no, Artemis offered to pay them a couple hundred for the hair cut instead of the standard $50. Holly shook her head. Typical Artemis Fowl.

The hair stylist obviously said yes, because Artemis hung up looking very pleased with himself.

"You are so manipulative."

"I offer them money, they won't turn it down, unlike you. What do I have to do to see the dress you picked?" Artemis sat on the bed and motioned for Holly to sit beside him.

She sat. "You can't do anything, because I'm not showing you."

Artemis exhaled. "Fine, I'll just have to wait."

"Yes, you will," Holly said, triumphant.

Artemis frowned, seemingly defeated before he grabbed Holly's shoulders and rolled over so that he was holding himself above her.

She glared at him and tried to push him off. "Artemis Fowl, you will not make me give in again!"

Artemis shrugged. "Are you sure? I probably could. I haven't seemed to have much trouble any other time."

Holly rolled her eyes, still shoving futilely at his chest.

He leaned down to kiss her and she melted. She couldn't be mad when he did this to her. She put a hand behind his head, pulling him closer as he tried not to put to much weight on her. Just because she was bigger than before, didn't mean she couldn't be squashed.

Artemis wasn't sure how long they stayed there before the door to the room swung open. Butler stood in the doorframe, a girl carrying a black bag behind him. She looked slightly freaked out – she couldn't have been more than eighteen years old – but Butler merely rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," he apologized to the girl. He walked over and pulled Holly off the bed as she was now on top of Artemis. "You've got some hairdresser lady here to see you," he informed her as she dangled a foot above the ground looking extremely confused.

Artemis sat up, straightening his shirt and running his fingers through his hair a few times. "We sort of forgot."

"I'll say," Butler replied, setting Holly back on the floor. She frowned and dusted off the front of her shirt.

"Artemis, how about you come with me?" Butler suggested. "Finn's getting a bit cranky that you haven't painted with him in a few days."

Artemis sighed. "I suppose that you're just distracting me, but I may as well come." He looked at Holly. "Come find me when you're done so I can pay her."

Holly nodded and pulled the disturbed hairstylist into the bathroom. She sat on the stool that Artemis had already put in the bathroom and began instructing the girl as to what she wanted done. Holly was surprised that the hair stylist didn't even make a comment on her pointed ears. She probably thought that her and Artemis were strange enough already.


	31. Guilt

**This is the only chapter I have written out at the moment, so if it takes a while for the next one, I sincerely apologize. I'll try to write more this afternoon. Anyway, this is CHAPTER 31! I think it deserves a round of applause *claps for myself* Kidding because that's so arrogant, but I am surprised it got this far. Enjoy.**

Artemis sat impatiently with Finn as the six year old smeared more paint on another sheet of paper. He grabbed Artemis's sleeve, immediately staining it with a splotch of red paint.

"Daddy, aren't you going to paint a picture too?" Finn asked, spurting some yellow paint from a tube onto a sour cream container lid and sticking his fingers in it after wiping them on his pants.

Artemis shook his head. "Not today Finn. I'm waiting for Mommy to finish with her haircut because I have to pay the lady who did it." Artemis had decided to throw in a couple hundred dollars in tips. He felt slightly guilty for having the hairstylist walk in on them. She had looked somewhat traumatized.

Finn shook his head. "Please paint with me Daddy? You haven't painted a picture since Mommy came back from the fairyland."

"I'm sorry Finn, but I've been…busy." Artemis knew that he had to spend time with Finn too, but he'd missed Holly so much…

He shook his head. That wasn't an excuse to stop doing things with his son. If it was, he should have given Finn to Holly years ago so he could be underground.

Artemis rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and grabbed a sheet of paper. "I suppose that I will paint a picture Finn."

Finn grinned and pushed his paint covered lid towards Artemis. Artemis stuck his fingers in the gooey mess and began to paint.

A half hour later, Holly came downstairs, followed by the traumatized hairstylist who looked slightly less traumatized. Holly had probably explained their situation to her and she had sympathized.

Artemis stood, wiped his hands on a towel he had kept nearby. He wasn't quite as fond of using his pants as Finn was. He smiled at the hairstylist and dug out his checkbook.

"How much do I owe you?"

The hairstylist blinked, momentarily stunned by Artemis's deep blue eye and hazel eye, before stating the price.

"Well, because we don't make house calls," she said, trying to sound businesslike, "it's going to be one hundred and fifty."

Artemis nodded and wrote out a check for four hundred. He tore it off and handed it to the hairstylist who looked at it in surprise.

"Keep the change," Artemis said dryly, a hint of a smile playing around his lips as he attempted to stay nonchalant.

She nodded. "Thank you Master Fowl." She dipped her head once and scurried out the door, reigning in her excitement until she was outside.

Artemis smiled, chuckling silently before looking at Holly. Her hair was a bit longer than it used to be but still just as spiky and familiar.

She walked over to him. "Is it ok?"

He nodded. "Perfect."

"How much did you give her? She seemed pretty excited," Holly asked, slipping her arms around him.

"Four hundred. One fifty for her company, two fifty for her, since she did such a wonderful job."

"And because you felt guilty for her walking in on us?"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "You know me too well."

Holly nodded. "I know. I had a thought while I was getting my hair cut – by the way, it's lying all over the bathroom floor still, you might want to get it cleaned up."

Artemis sighed. "Butler?"

The manservant stuck his head in the door. "Artemis?"

"Holly's hair is lying all over our bathroom floor," he spared her a rueful glance, "Would you mind cleaning it up?"

Butler rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Thank you," Artemis said, looking back at Holly as Butler went to clean up. "So what was your thought?"

"There's a full moon tonight, isn't there?"

Artemis nodded.

"Well, Finn's a bit drained on magic and so am I so I thought we could all go out to a non-crowed spot so him and I could complete the Ritual."

"Which spot are you talking about? Tara will certainly be crowded."

"I know," Holly looked into his eyes. "I thought we could relive some old memories."

Artemis blinked, catching her meaning. "Why would you want to go there? I still feel bad about that Holly, everyday. I should never have kidnapped you. You never did anything to me and I took you from your people and held you for ransom."

"Yes, but had it not been for your selfishness, we never would have met. And I forgave you Artemis. You don't ever have to feel bad about that again."

Artemis sighed. "Alright. I'm not going to stop you. You can go wherever you want…" he trailed off, creases forming in his forehead.

"What's wrong Artemis?" Holly asked, touching his forehead, slightly annoyed by the creases.

Artemis shook his head, averting his eyes. "Nothing."

"Oh, don't even try that on me! I know there's something wrong. There most definitely is something wrong! Like you said, I know you too well."

Artemis looked at her. "I-I'm worried that if you go there, you might…you might remember how I used to be and-and leave me now because of that."

Holly exhaled. "Artemis, that's a ridiculous thing to worry about. I will not leave you again, I promise. Besides, you were twelve! That was years ago! You have completely changed and you've proven it to me over and over again. There's nothing left that you have to do for me. Going there will not change my mind about this."

Artemis closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a new resolve. "I suppose I won't think of it anymore, but if there is ever anything else you want, you just have to ask."

Holly shook her head. "There isn't anything Artemis. I just want you to stop dwelling on the past. I know you feel bad, but it's time to get over that, alright?"

Artemis paused, then nodded. "I'll try."

"Good. Then we'll go there tonight, all three of us." She stood up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. "I've still got a few more preparations to make for the wedding."

"You sent out the invitations?"

She nodded. "That's all done; I just need to order a few more flower arrangements and such. Cabelline is doing the decorating. Foaly has arranged for her to come up tomorrow. He says it won't rain over night so it should all be ok."

"Is there anything you want me to do?"

"You can stop asking me if there's something that I want you to do. It's all taken care of Artemis." Holly shook her head, a smile on her face.

"Alright, just as long as there isn't _actually_ a lot of stuff still to do. Now go do what you must. Butler will call when it's dinner time."

Holly nodded and let go of him, leaving the room. Artemis watched her with one thought in his mind.

_I am the luckiest person on the face of this earth._


	32. Ritual and Remembering

**Sorry it's all taking so long still. I'm super busy, so just bear with me. By the way, thanks so much to everyone who has been following this story and reviewing it. I can't tell you how much all your reviews mean to me. Thanks so much!**

Artemis stepped out of the Bentley, walking around to the other side and opening Holly's door. She stepped out as Finn climbed out of the back door after Artemis opened that one as well.

Holly took one step and tripped on a rock, falling towards Artemis, who caught her while holding Finn's door open.

Holly laughed. "You've certainly changed; you've never been this agile. And I guess I'm not used to being this tall yet."

Artemis smiled and closed Finn's door with one arm around Holly's waist. "Again, it's all thanks to Butler. Shall we?" He asked, motioning towards the forest looming in front of them.

Finn grasped Artemis's pant leg. "Daddy, it's dark."

Artemis flicked on a flashlight he had brought with him and handed it to Finn. "There you go."

Finn grinned and began shining the flashlight everywhere, the light rays bouncing off the trees and making them look quite a bit less foreboding.

The group trudged off into the forest. In about twenty minutes, they arrived at the spot where Artemis and Holly had 'met' (the term used very loosely). Artemis shook his head.

"It was so long ago."

"Almost thirteen years, or sixteen, depending on how you look at it," Holly said, looking up at him. She noted that he still looked worried, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She placed a hand on his cheek. "Artemis, stop."

He glanced down at her. "Stop what?"

She smacked his chest lightly. "Don't do this! Don't think about it. It's over, gone, in the past."

Artemis exhaled and nodded, looking towards where Finn now sat, poking at a worm. It had recently rained and the worms had all come out. This rain also meant that the seat of Finn's pants was probably thoroughly soaked.

Holly looked over at Finn and laughed before breaking away from Artemis and walking over to the base of a tree trunk. She bent down and the moon reflected off her hair. Artemis couldn't help but stare at her. He was so in love.

Holly selected two smooth acorns from the ground and turned to Finn. "Finn, honey, come over here."

Finn obliged, leaving the worm to peace and crawled over to Holly, staining the knees of his pants as well. "What Mommy?"

Holly smiled and handed him an acorn. "If you bury this over there," she pointed at where Artemis stood, "then all the blue sparks will come back."

Finn's eyes widened and he got to his feet, walking over to Artemis. Holly followed him and both mother and son bent down, pushing the acorn into the earth.

Holly closed her eyes as she felt the magic rush back into her body. She loved running hot. She opened her eyes when it was over and looked at Finn. His eyes were wide and a grin was plastered on his face.

"That felt good Mommy."

Holly nodded. "Whenever you're low on magic, you come here and you do this and all the magic will come back."

"Alright," Finn said, crawling back to torture his worm.

Holly got her feet. "He can't be distracted for long, can he?" she asked, placing a hand on Artemis's arm.

He shook his head, still watching her. "Never has been. Sort of like you."

She laughed. "I suppose. I'm just really good at keeping to the task at hand. Like the fact that it's getting late and Finn has to go to bed soon."

Artemis glanced at his watch. "How did you know…?"

"Placement of the moon Artemis. It's nearing eleven o'clock." Holly walked over to Finn to try and get him to leave the worm alone so they could go.

Artemis frowned. Of course the placement of the moon would tell the time. He couldn't help but smile.

Holly finally persuaded Finn to leave the worm. Finn yawned hugely as he climbed to his feet. He walked over to Artemis and grabbed onto his hand and the little family walked back to the Bentley. Artemis drove home and once they got back to the manor, both Holly and Artemis brought Finn up to bed after changing him out of his wet pants. Artemis read him a quick story, but Finn was out before Artemis even finished. Holly smiled as the two got up and left the room.

"Goodnight Finn," she whispered.


	33. Wedding

**HEY! LONG TIME NO SEE! I'm so sorry this has taken so long, so, to make up for it, I wrote an extra long chapter. I think that this is going to be the last chapter, followed by a epilogue and an alternate ending (I hope). I spent a while on this chapter, so I hope it's good. Please inform me of mistakes so I can correct them immediately. I don't often catch my own errors xD. Anyway, enjoy reading this because I had fun writing it.**

Artemis glanced out of his window nervously. Two hours. In two short hours, he would be married. It was almost too much to handle. But he was excited. Nothing like this had ever happened in the history of the earth, as far back as could have been recorded. This was something that had never happened and probably would never happen again. It was a momentous occasion; the joining of human and fairy.

Butler stood in the doorway, waiting for Artemis to compose himself. The manservant alone had been charged with preparing Artemis for the wedding, and it was difficult when his charge was being uncooperative.

"Artemis, are you quite finished? You _do_ have to get ready before the wedding because you certainly can't get married dressed like that," Butler stated, motioning to Artemis's pajama pants with a hint of annoyance. "Not when Holly is all dressed up."

Artemis nodded brusquely and turned to face the hulking bodyguard. "Alright, I'm ready."

Butler nodded and held up the tuxedo he had in his hand. "Well, we can start with this."

Holly gasped as Caballine pulled the back of the dress together in order to do it up. She hadn't expected it to be so tight.

Caballine smiled sympathetically. "You may not be able to breath for a while..."

Holly rolled her eyes. "I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can." The centaur pulled once more, fastening the last hook, then stood back. "There. You look beautiful Holly."

Holly examined her reflection in the floor length mirror in the guest room. She supposed she looked okay; Artemis would probably think she looked beautiful. Typical. Artemis always thought she looked beautiful.

But Holly still had the feeling something was missing. She looked around the room, spotting a vase of flowers on a table. She walked over, picked one, broke off part of the long stem, and stuck the flower behind her ear. Holly glanced at herself in the mirror once more, then nodded. "Okay, I'm ready now."

Caballine smiled. "I'll inform Foaly and Qwan. They're waiting."

Holly nodded and, as Caballine left the room, walked over to the window and glanced out. She couldn't see the area where they would be wed from here, a deliberate action of her friends. They didn't want to 'spoil the surprise'. Holly rolled her eyes and sat on the giant bed. She ran her fingers over the deep blue silk sheets and sighed. Finally, it was going to happen.

Artemis paced his room with trepidation, unable to sit down. There was a mere ten minutes before the wedding began. He was excited, nervous, anxious and absolutely dying to see Holly.

Finn came bursting into the room at that moment, out of breath. "Daddy, the centaur says that it's time."

Artemis nodded, smiling at how grown up his son looked in a tuxedo. Finn ran over and grabbed Artemis's hand, beginning to pull. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, I am. I'm just nervous."

"What for? You already know Mommy, it's not like you're marrying a stranger."

"Touché," Artemis muttered and allowed himself to be dragged from the room by his son. Images swirled in his head as he walked. He saw himself waiting in a camouflaged tent, waiting for a heat signature to appear on a screen. He watched his twelve year old self bargain with Julius Root about the plight of Holly and some fairy gold. He winced as he lied to Holly, telling her she had given his mother Spelltropy.

He was still convinced that he didn't deserve her. He had only hurt her, yet she still wanted to be with him, when she could have been with Trouble instead, be with a member of her own race. Maybe he would never understand.

He sighed as Finn pulled him through the front doors towards the side lawn near the patio. Artemis blinked in surprise when he saw the yard.

A large white arch was centered in front of a few rows of white chairs. Vines and white lilies snaked around the arch and a white platform stood in the middle of the arch. Lilies, roses and carnations, all white, were also wrapped around the chairs. Snow couldn't have made the area look any whiter, or more beautiful.

Artemis looked at Caballine. "Did you enjoy doing this?" he asked, waving a hand at the yard.

Caballine nodded. "Do you like it?"

"Of course. You did a wonderful job."

Caballine smiled. "Good."

As the two spoke, Artemis noticed his parents, along with a very confused looking Myles and Beckett, exit the house. Artemis supposed his mother had told the twins about the fairies, since Foaly didn't really have a way to disguise a couple of demons and centaurs effectively. Artemis's family were the only humans attending the wedding and were therefore the only ones who would know about the existence of fairies. Foaly had agreed to them knowing, grudgingly.

Artemis only wondered what would happen if the media showed up. No one but those attending had been informed about the wedding, but that wouldn't stop the news. Artemis's marriage would be a big thing once word got out, as no one had ever expected the genius to get married. The interview was the part that Artemis was looking the least forward to.

The rest of the guests, mainly fairy friends of Holly's, had come out of the house and taken their seats as Artemis had been thinking, and Qwan motioned him up to the platform as his mother began to play a song on a large white grand piano in a corner.

Artemis stepped up to the platform and watched as Holly's two bridesmaids, Caballine and another fairy he wasn't very familiar with, exited the house and walked down the aisle, escorted by Foaly and another elf successively. Foaly and the male elf stood beside the platform on Artemis's side as Caballine and the female elf took their places on the other side, where Holly would be standing.

Then the tone of the music changed and Artemis smiled as Holly stepped out of the doors. He couldn't help but just stare at her. She was so beautiful he could think of nothing else. She held herself high as she walked down the aisle, her eyes fixed on Artemis and a smiled playing about her lips. There would be nothing deterring her from getting to him.

She stepped onto the platform and he took her hands in his as Qwan stood before them, a big smile on his face. He said something, but Artemis didn't hear, his thoughts again revolving around his kidnapping of Holly. He was transfixed, unable to move when Holly met his mismatched eyes and mouthed, "I still love you," as if she had read his thoughts. He nodded slightly and turned to Qwan, catching the end of his sentence.

"I do," he said and he looked into Holly's eyes, knowing what he was to say from numerous rehearsals.

Qwan nodded and turned to Holly, speaking the same words to her as he had said to Artemis.

"I do," she responded after Qwan had finished.

Qwan nodded, then looked out over the group of people and fairies. "And now, if anyone had any objections, speak, or forever hold your peace."

Artemis glanced out nervously, hoping that none of the fairies he didn't know would oppose.

However, to his surprise, one elf rose. He heard Holly's small gasp from beside him and he blinked as well. They had been so sure that Trouble wasn't going to come.

Trouble nodded. "I have an objection." Qwan gave a small nod and Trouble continued.

"As you all very well know, this human," he said, pointing at Artemis, "kidnapped Holly, lied to and manipulated her. We've all heard about his schemes, who's to say this isn't one of them? Get married to a fairy, and then use that power to destroy our species. He says he's changed, but how can we really know for sure? Holly may just be caught in another one of his plots again." He turned and looked at Holly. "Besides, she should be marrying inside her own species, not contaminating the world with crossbreeds," he said, looking pointedly at Finn, who stuck his tongue out at Trouble.

Holly gasped. "How dare you call my son a crossbreed? And I actually considered marrying you," she spat. Artemis placed his hand on her arm warningly.

"It would have been better than marrying that Mud Slime," Trouble shot back. "You know what he did to you, why do you ignore it? You're only hurting yourself Holly."

Holly glared at Trouble. "Leave. I won't have you insulting Artemis or Finn. I invited you because I thought that we'd be able to get past this and at least be friends, like we've always been, but I guess not." She turned her back on Trouble and looked at Artemis. His expression was pained, he knew that Trouble was right. She shook her head. "Don't listen to him."

"But he's right," Artemis whispered, hanging his head.

"Artemis Fowl, you will not do this to me right now! Are you listening? I want to marry you, whether you did some bad things in the past or not. It isn't you anymore, and I know that, which is what's important."

Artemis shook his head, Trouble's rant having broken him once again. "But that part of me will always be there." He could hear some whispering in the crowds, the fairies that were agreeing with Trouble, and each nod hurt him even more. He didn't think that he would be able to survive without Holly, but maybe it would be for the best. If she could have a normal life, then he could end his knowing that she was happy.

Holly watched his eyes, almost reading his thoughts through his expressions. Her eyes widened as his face moved from one degree of sadness to the next and just kept falling. She gripped his shoulders and shook her head. "Artemis. I know what you're thinking and you can stop right now, because no matter what, I will not be happy unless I'm with you. I've told you that so many times, why can't you just believe me?"

"Because sometimes I see it in your eyes," Artemis whispered, surprising her. She had thought she had it hidden so well.

"Every once and a while I see it," Artemis continued quietly, so only Holly could hear him, "the desire in you to marry Trouble and stay with your own species."

Holly shook her head and gestured to her body, then his. "It's a bit late now Artemis. You have a fairy's lifespan and I have the height of a human. And even if every once and a while I _do_ want to marry Trouble, the desire to be with you overrides it in a second. I _love_ you Artemis, more than anything, except Finn, and I want to be with you." Holly looked at Qwan. "Can we finish this? Artemis and I are done."

Qwan glanced out at the group for approval. The majority of heads nodded, so Qwan continued, with an apologetic look at Trouble.

"Although there may be reason to call off this wedding, the majority has agreed to continue and therefore I shall." He turned back to Holly and Artemis as Finn walked forward, bearing the rings. Holly and Artemis each took one, sliding it onto each other's fingers at Qwan's nod. The demon smiled once they were finished. "I now pronounce you man and elf," he said, his grin broadening. "Artemis, you can kiss her."

Artemis took a step and leaned forward, kissing Holly briefly on the lips. They could finish later. He took her into his arms as applause broke out, and rested his forehead against hers. "Thanks. I think you saved me from drowning in myself once again."

"Artemis, I wouldn't let Trouble get to you." She noticed Trouble slinking out of the yard from the corner of her eye just then, but didn't mention it to Artemis. He had enough to get through. "I love you."

Artemis nodded once. "I love you too."

Artemis sat in one of the white chairs, arms crossed, watching Holly as she conversed with Caballine. The elf and centaur were certainly good friends and Artemis was glad his now wife had someone else to talk to. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, wondering if he needed someone like that too. He could talk to Foaly now and then, but the centaur usually made a joke of even the most serious things. Artemis closed his eyes.

However, seconds later, he was assaulted by his brothers' loud voices as they approached him.

"Hey Artemis!" Beckett called.

Artemis ran his tongue over his front teeth, then opened his eyes. "Hello Beckett, Myles. Unless there's something in particular that you would like to speak with me about, I would like you to leave."

Beckett smirked and slouched in a chair beside Artemis. "Don't be so uptight brother. You just got married."

Myles sat on the other side of Artemis, in a more dignified manner than his twin. "No kidding. You have to be a bit looser for tonight, if you know what I mean."

Artemis glared at him. "What do you two want? Because you certainly don't want to talk about my love life."

"Good point," muttered Beckett, screwing up his face.

"We don't really _want_ anything," Myles said, grinning at Beckett's disgusted face. "Mother and Father told us to congratulate you, although I still think it's a lost cause. _I_ think that you shouldn't have had the kid in the first place. You totally screwed up."

"Thank you for pointing that out." Artemis stood, sidestepping Beckett in an attempt to remove himself from the twin's presence.

Beckett got to his feet and raised his arms in a sort of shrug. "Whatever you say brother. I second Myles' statement. Even though you're married now, you royally screwed up before. And kidnapping her? Even I wouldn't have done something that stupid. I'm surprised that she even wanted to marry you anymore."

Artemis clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. He whirled around on his heel and grasped Beckett by the collar of his tuxedo. "If you ever say _anything_ like that again, I will personally make sure that you wake up the next morning in Africa."

Beckett shrugged, pulling Artemis's fingers from his blazer collar. "It's true though, and you know it," he said, backing away from Artemis. "I saw your eyes when that other fairy accused you of kidnapping Holly. You looked like you'd just been stabbed. You'd better be good to her or she might change her mind, and I'm sure you couldn't handle that." He whirled around and ran, Myles following close behind, from an enraged Artemis.

Artemis curled his hands into fists, his breathing heavy. Why did everyone have to be right about the only thing that Artemis thought and worried about constantly?

He glanced over at Holly, making sure she was fully occupied, before stalking into the house and down into the cellar. He searched the dark room for a bottle of scotch, shaking hands knocking against bottles and racks. Finally his fingers closed around the familiar shape of the scotch bottle. He pulled it from the rack and stumbled up the cellar stairs, then the main staircase and into his study. When he got into the room, he locked the door and sat at his desk, uncorking the scotch. He knew Holly would be upset with him when she found him, but he could think of nothing else than that horrible night when he had ordered Butler to tranquilize his wife. He shook his head and drank deeply from the scotch bottle, the strong alcohol almost immediately muddling his thoughts. He couldn't handle the guilt that came with the thoughts of his first meeting with Holly. He had treated her as an animal and it plagued him, day and night. He still dreamt of it, the nightmare causing him to often fall from his bed, giving Myles and Beckett even more reason to laugh when they discovered him in the morning tangled in a sheet and lying on the floor. He took another drink of scotch, feeling his problems wash away with the alcohol.

"Well, it's getting dark. I think Foaly and I should get going," Caballine stated, giving Holly a hug. Holly nodded.

"I should probably get back to Artemis too. He must be wondering what we could possibly talk about for so long."

Caballine nodded and trotted off to find Foaly. Holly waved, then glanced around, her eyes scanning the yard for Artemis. He had been sitting in one of the white chairs earlier, but wasn't there anymore. She sighed. He'd most likely gotten bored and retired to his study. Holly dutifully said her goodbyes to the rest of the guests before running as fast as she could in high heels and a wedding dress up to the guest room. She shrugged out of her dress and shoes, slipping on one of the numerous pairs of jeans that Artemis had bought for her. She picked a plain tee shirt from one of the shopping bags sitting on the floor, as she hadn't bothered to put the clothes away, and pulled it over her head before walking to Artemis's study.

She knocked twice, then tried the doorknob. To her surprise, it was locked. She knocked again but received no answer. She blinked before pulling a pin from her still extravagantly done up hair. She stuck it in the lock and twisted it about until it came open. She pushed the door open silently and stepped in, wondering why in the world Artemis had locked it. That was when she noticed the bottle of scotch in his hand. She shook her head and took in the scene in front of her.

Artemis sat with his back facing her, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. His arm rested on the desk, hand gripping the scotch. When he heard Holly enter the room, he swivelled the chair to face her. His appearance brought tears to her eyes.

His hair and tuxedo were dishevelled, his cheeks tearstained and his eyes rimmed with red. Holly sighed and walked briskly over to him, laying a hand gently on his arm while her other hand removed the scotch bottle from his grasp. He complied without resistance. She placed it just out of reach before looking into his eyes. "Oh Artemis..."

Those simple words brought fresh tears to his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely.

Holly shook her head and went over to another chair, pulling it across from where Artemis sat. She took a seat and held his hands in hers. "What happened?"

"Myles and Beckett...I thought...he said...you would leave..." Artemis mumbled incoherently, the alcohol and the emotions affecting his speech and thought patterns. He looked down at his lap, unable to meet her gaze.

"I'm not going anywhere Arty," Holly said gently, full realization of the situation hitting her. Of course Trouble had revealed Artemis's blunder of kidnapping her when he had objected to their wedding. Myles and Beckett hadn't known of it until then. Holly knew that they often insulted and hurt Artemis. They must have kindled his hate of himself again by bringing up the kidnapping.

She placed a hand on either side of his face and lifted it so his eyes met hers. "Arty, I'm not leaving. I never will, no matter what you think. I promise. You would have to do something truly despicable to make me leave, and I know you never would. You are a completely different man now." She may as well have had the speech memorized, she'd said it to him so many times.

He nodded, a lone tear running down his face and dripping onto his pants. He blinked once. "You look beautiful."

Holly laughed once. "Thank you. But I looked better before."

Artemis shook his head. "I don't think so. It was a beautiful dress, but you'll always look best to me dressed in a green jumpsuit."

Holly smiled. "I don't think it will fit me anymore."

"Then I'll just have to make do with jeans and a tee shirt." He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his eyelids begging him for some rest. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad that you're okay." Holly took his hands in hers again.

"I think I wreaked our wedding night," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have drunk the scotch."

"I don't blame you Artemis. That was a horrible thing for Trouble and your brothers to do on your wedding day. If anything, I'm sorry that they said things that all of them shouldn't have."

Artemis sighed. "I'm tired."

"I'm sure you are," Holly said, glancing once at the scotch bottle. Artemis wasn't too drunk, but he _was_ drunk. "You just have to promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Artemis asked, pulling at the collar of his shirt, dying to remove his bowtie.

Holly undid the tie carefully, letting it drape around his neck. "You have to promise me that next time anyone says something that tempts you to drink, you'll come to me first."

Artemis nodded. "Alright. That sounds simple enough."

Holly, despite the situation, couldn't help a small giggle. The alcohol was definitely getting to his head. If he was sober, he would have been appalled by his ridiculous responses to what she said.

"Good," Holly said, helping him from the chair to his feet. She led him to his room, sitting him down on the bed. She knew that any normal woman would be mad at her husband if he was drunk and upset on their wedding night. But Holly couldn't be angry with Artemis at the moment. She knew how much it hurt him to be reminded of that fateful evening, much less to be blamed for it publically at his wedding. She had enough time ahead of her to be annoyed with him.

She helped him undress and put on his pajamas, brush his teeth and get back to bed in one piece. Then she changed into a pair of pajama pants, pulled all the pins from her hair and slipped into bed beside him.

He rolled onto his side so he faced her. "I've been looking forward to this for so long, being married to you," he said quietly. Holly could see the effort he put into speaking coherently.

Holly nodded. "Me too. I love you so much Artemis. Every night I was away I thought of you."

"I did the same thing. I always dreamt of you." His eyes dropped towards the bed the slightest bit.

"Is it about the kidnapping?" Holly inquired softly.

"You know me too well," Artemis muttered.

"Better than anyone, I think," Holly replied. "I really wish you wouldn't dream of that anymore though. It's in the past. You really need to let go of that night. It's done and gone and it's because of your ridiculous ambition that we're here together right now." She laid a hand on his bare chest, feeling his heart beat.

He closed his eyes briefly, taking a few deep breaths. "Alright," he said when he finally spoke. "I promise not to think obsessively of it, speak of it, or dream of it again."

Holly smiled broadly. "Thank you."

"And if I don't remember that promise in the morning, please remind me," Artemis mumbled.

Holly nodded, then realized he couldn't see her with his eyes closed. "I will. Now I think you should get some sleep."

Artemis sighed, opening his eyes, and held his arms out to her. "I want to make sure you don't disappear while I sleep."

She laughed and moved into his embrace. She curled up against his chest and let out a contented sigh. "Goodnight Artemis. I love you."

He breathed in the scent of her, kissed her hair and whispered, "I love you too. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on."

"Thank you," she whispered back. She closed her eyes and felt Artemis's breathing deepen as he fell into a deep sleep. She was quick to follow.


	34. Epilogue

**Beginning of the School Year**

Finn tore into Artemis and Holly's room on the morning of the first day of school. He leapt onto the bed and jumped around until Artemis rolled over, squinting up at him.

"What do you want Finn?"

"It's the first day of school Daddy. You and Mommy have to get up."

Artemis glanced over at Holly who was curled up and almost completely covered by the silky blue sheet. He smiled and looked at Finn.

"Alright, I'm getting up. Just stop jumping on the bed."

"But what about Mommy?" Finn whined, stopping his jumping and climbing off the bed.

"Mommy will get up soon, okay?" Artemis slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Holly and pulled Finn from the room. "I'll make you some breakfast."

"But you can't cook like Mommy can," Finn complained, digging his heels into the carpet and looking back at the bedroom. "The last time you made me breakfast, you burnted it."

"I _burnt_ it Finn, not burnted," Artemis corrected, wincing at the memory of the smoke filled kitchen and the black-ish..._things_ on the counter that were supposed to be pancakes.

"I've gotten better," Artemis promised, pulling Finn down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Now sit and I'll make you something."

In truth, Artemis's cooking skills had not actually gotten much better and he burnt the toast twice before actually getting one right. He was just waving the smoke out of the kitchen when Holly appeared, wrapped in a dark blue robe.

"Oh Artemis," she sighed, smacking him on the arm and turning on the stove fan. "You really do still suck at cooking, don't you? And that's just toast."

"It's more difficult than it looks," Artemis defended, rubbing his arm.

"That's what you say about everything," Holly said, rolling her eyes and cracking a few eggs into a frying pan on the stove. "You could have asked Butler, you know."

Butler stuck his head in the kitchen, a broom in his hand. "Asked me what?"

"Didn't you see the smoke Butler?" Holly inquired. "Artemis will burn down the whole house if you aren't careful."

Artemis frowned. "I'm not _that_ bad at it."

"Oh, yes you are." Holly scooped the egg and toast on a plate for Finn, placing it in front of the boy who was not grumpy and smelled a lot like burnt toast.

Butler nodded. "I'll have to agree with Holly." He pulled his head out of the kitchen before he got something thrown at him by a very annoyed looking Artemis.

"Fine," Artemis muttered. "I'm going to get dressed, then I'll take Finn to school."

"I'm coming too," Holly stated, handing Artemis a piece of toast. "Eat this first."

Artemis snatched the toast and stalked upstairs to get dressed, annoyed mainly because he knew that everyone was right. He most certainly could not cook.

Holly and Artemis waved from the car as Finn climbed out and ran up the steps and into the school. He was grinning broadly and he waved madly before entering the building.

Artemis smiled and drove off from the school, glancing over at Holly. "Now we just have to pray no one notices his ears."

She nodded in agreement, watching the school disappear in the side mirror of the car. She looked at Artemis when the school was no longer in sight. "So what do we do now?"

Artemis shrugged. Over the rest of the summer, the three of them had gone on hikes, horseback rides, walked along the beach and occasionally went on a sailboat. Now that Finn was in school again, they didn't have much to do. Artemis knew he would have to do some work soon, but until then, he was contented to just spend time with Holly.

"Is there something in particular that you want to do?" he inquired.

"How about we walk along the beach? It may not be as nice as it has been, but it's still something to do. Besides, we haven't been for a while."

Artemis nodded and took the turnoff to get to the beach.

When they arrived, Artemis and Holly climbed from the Bentley. Artemis walked around the other side and offered his hand to Holly. She took it with a smile and they walked to the path. The wind blew lightly and the sun broke through the thick cloud cover, sending shafts of light down to splotch the stone pathway. Holly looked out over the ocean and sighed.

"It was definitely worth it."

"What?" Artemis asked, looking at her.

"Coming up to the surface. I don't miss Haven one bit. The air down there is so stuffy compared to up here. And you never get to see this underground," she said, waving her hand over the scene in front of them.

"True," Artemis replied. "I am also glad that you chose to come up. I honestly don't think that I could handle living without you. I never once thought I'd say such a thing, but I know it is true. I would have killed myself long ago if it wasn't for Finn."

"Well, then, I'm glad that Finn was around, because if I had heard something like that on TV, I would have come up and killed you myself."

"Even though I would have already been dead?" Artemis asked, a smirk on his face.

Holly opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, at a loss for words. Finally she settled on, "You know what I mean!"

"No, I actually don't," Artemis answered smugly, watching her expression.

"Oh, don't be so patronizing," Holly hissed, slapping him lightly with her free hand.

Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Anyway, I'm glad you came and stayed."

Holly stopped and took his other hand. "Me too."

Artemis smiled a genuine smiled and took her into his arms, kissing her right in the middle of the path, people walking around them and glancing at the couple, some disdainfully, some with a sort of 'aww' expression on their faces.

Artemis and Holly didn't mind, they were lost with each other.

Fin.

**Well, there you have it, the conclusion of my massive story. When I started I didn't think it would last this long. Maybe ten chapters or something. Wow, did I ever blow myself away. Anyway, keep watch for the alternate ending, which I will post on this story, I'm just not sure when. However, this story is otherwise finito. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read faithfully to the very end, I can't thank you guys enough *Hands all an E-Truffle* See you guys on some of my other stories!**

**~TheSunlitEarth  
**


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